Legends of the Heart
by Ancestor's Dragon
Summary: There are many legends passed on throughout history. Feats of those who fight for justice, conquer nations, bring peace to torn lives. Those who change history. But all Legends are made by those with strong Hearts. AU w/ some OCs. Somewhat of a X-over.
1. Act 0: Shubi: End of Legends pt 1

_Author's Note_:

Alright, so. This is my first story. After reading countless pieces of amazing literature by the likes of Kal Ancalas, Tellemicus Sundance, Kyugan, Archangel and Spike (authors who first got me into fanfiction), Lifethane (author who first got me into _Naruto_ fanfiction), and many, many others, I've finally decided to write a fanfic of my own. This story is a Naruto, Bleach, and Maple Story crossover with aspects and/or minor characters from numerous other sources, such as Legend of Dragoon and Touhou. This story takes place primarily in the Naruto universe, but touches into the Bleach and Maple Story universe as well.

I also want to point out, and this is very important, that the beginning of this may be slightly (more likely _very_) confusing since I'm sort of jamming a whole bunch of stuff together to get it started. Just go with it for now. All will be explained in due time. Well, thank you for taking the opportunity to read this and I hope you enjoy.

_Disclaimer_: I do not own Naruto, Bleach, Maple Story, Touhou or anything else that any characters, ideas, etc. in my story may come from. Any original characters/ideas/etc by me are ALL MINE! ~ Enjoy ~

* * *

_Prologue 1: SHUBI - End of Legends ~ Once Again_

It was a dark night in the forest that permeated much of Fire Country. A traveling merchant was walking down the road, trying to make it to a village before the night became too late. He silently cursed himself for his impatience, wanting to get to town before his competitors did, only to end up lost for most of the afternoon before he finally found the main path again at dusk.

At least the night was calm, with cool, clear weather, road lit by moonlight, absolute silence…

Wait.

Absolute silence?

The merchant paused in his wandering and listened. He was no stranger to travel during the late hours of the night, and normally, the night was always full of noises, with the various nocturnal animals scurrying about the undergrowth, owls and insects calling out to one another, the occasional youkai prowling about doing who knows what. But tonight… something was wrong, that much he could tell.

He decided that there was nothing he could do by just standing there and was about to continue when he heard what seemed to be a distant roar. Although it was faint, the merchant could feel chills run down his spine, as if there was a malevolent aura within the sound.

Continuing his trek with caution, he heard another distant roar, but louder, followed by a faint crash. He looked around himself, trying to detect any sign of danger, when he noticed a red glow in the horizon. It was a different direction than where he was headed though, and reason overruled curiosity as he decided that making his way to town was the best course of action. He would find out the next morning that it was the wisest choice he had ever made in his life.

Unbeknownst to him, a sliding door appeared in midair, a senkaimon gate, and opened to have a figure dart out at blinding speeds towards the source of the red glow.

Minutes later, a pentagram formed on the ground with a wooden doorway appearing at its center. Two more figures ran through before they disappeared, one in a flash of fire, the other into the ground itself. Both headed towards the same destination as the first figure, with the same thing in mind: _Let us be there in time_.

* * *

_One hour ago: Konohagakure no Sato_

The night was not quiet here. The silence was shattered by inhuman roars and cries of pain. Before the gates of the great Village Hidden in the Leaves stood the Nine Tailed Fox in all its wretched glory. The demon roared again as another wave of ninja tried to impede its destruction, only to be obliterated by a mere sweep of a tail, or a flick of the paw, or a blast of vile chakra from its mouth. The shinobi of Konoha, despite understanding the futility of their situation, fought with all the strength they could muster, with all the techniques they could conjure, with their hearts brimming with the courage to take on this foul beast, to defend their home. If only that were enough to even phase the great demon...

Farther away within the depths of the village, a woman sat in a bed, panting with exertion as she struggled to give birth. Her husband, ever faithful, stood by her side, trying to comfort her in her labor.

"Kushina, hang on. You fought through two wars and lived to tell the tale, and I know you'll be able to pull through this. Just a little more and you will have that family you've always dreamed of. Please, don't give up!" encouraged one Minato Namikaze. Although he put up a brave and comforting front for his wife, inside he was in utter turmoil.

_What do I do? The Kyubi is upon us and Kushina is having problems delivering the baby. _

He looked over to a small pentagonal badge, engraved with the visage of a black, stylized skull.

_I called for assistance from Soul Society but there's been no reply yet. Dammit, I wish I could be out there fighting with the rest of the village, but… Kushina is still…_

His thoughts were interrupted as another earth shattering roar resounded through the village, followed by a bright flash of light. Startled, Minato ran to the window to see what happened, only to discover, to his horror, that there was now a large crater where a section of the forest used to be. He was startled yet again by another noise, but it was much softer and lacked the malevolence of that of the demon fox's.

He turned around to see Kushina holding a small baby and smiling as she struggled to hold onto consciousness. Minato felt joy well up within him before it withered away when another howl tore through the night, scaring the baby and making it cry. Kushina looked at the bundle in her arms lovingly and used all her remaining strength to speak. "Hush, Naruto-chan, everything's going to be alright."

Minato walked up next to his wife and held both her and the baby for the first and last time, as he felt the life slip away from Kushina. When the child had stopped crying he looked up with tears in his eyes at Kushina's soul, her chain of fate broken and tears welling up in her eyes as well. He tentatively reached out to touch her, his heart threatening to break as he watched his hand pass through her cheek, unfeeling. He carefully laid her body down and wrapped his newly born son in a blanket.

"Kushina…" Minato started. "I'm not sure when the shinigami will come, if at all. I think it's best if you try to find a safer place to hide. I don't want anything to happen to you while you're still vulnerable like this."

"It's alright Minato," she replied. "I just want to stay for a while, to watch over him until the Kyubi is gone at least. I wish I could have been alive to help him grow up… Now go, I think you've been waiting to protect the village long enough."

"But what about Naruto, you can't take care of him without a body, especially so soon after death."

"Then I'll watch over him for the time being." Minato and Kushina turned sharply around to see Kakashi leaning against the doorway, blood seeping through a hastily wrapped bandage on his arm. He immediately held up a hand as they started towards him, concern etched on their faces. "Don't worry about me, I was just scratched by the demon. More importantly, I received a message from the Captain-General of Soul Society." Minato looked at him in shock and relief before motioning for him to continue. "Yamamoto-sama stated that although Central 46 has prevented the Gotei 13 from aiding you, they did not prevent aid from other sources, and will therefore be sending a substitute to help you."

Minato scowled at this. The Kyubi was stronger than any enemy he and Soul Society had ever faced, perhaps even rivaling Aizen himself in power, and all they send is a _substitute_ reaper? But as he repeated the words in his head, it suddenly dawned on him. He put a hand to his face and chuckled. There was only one Substitute, how could he have forgotten?

"Of course, Kurosaki…" he muttered.

"Minato-sensei, I have also received word that others will be joining him, from Scania," continued Kakashi. "According to the message, Seijero Fushichou and Ginjuumoku Mouki have both responded to the message and are on their way."

_We may have hope now; the four of us might actually be able to defeat that demon_…

Minato suddenly felt more relieved than he ever had that day. He gently laid Naruto down on a crib of blankets and kissed him on the forehead.

"I'll be back, my son, I promise." He whispered quietly. He got up and turned around to address is student.

"Kakashi, make sure you take care of the two of them." The silver haired teen bowed deeply in reply. Minato then turned to look at Kushina, who had floated down to kneel by their son. He choked on his words as he tried to think of something to say, but she merely smiled at him.

"Well, what're you waiting for? Get out there already, and make sure you come back." He let out a laugh at that and jumped onto the windowsill. As he made to leap out, he paused.

"It's a promise." And with a flash of yellow light, he vanished.

* * *

_In Seireitei, ten minutes ago_:

Chaos, utter chaos. That was the best word for the current situation as Ichigo observed his surroundings. It was only a few hours ago when 12th Division had caught wind of a large spiritual being stirring and heading towards Konoha. Many of his friends had panicked when they caught wind of the Kyubi no Kitsune on the move. After all, the demon lord was not one to be trifled with, not even by the dead. Captain-General Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryusai was about to assign a reinforcement team made of several captains when the order came in from Central 46. Oh, how he hated administration. Granted, the new Central 46 was worlds better than the exclusive congregation of senile old fools that it used to be. But as friendlier as they were to the common reaper, they were not about to risk the high possibility of losing several captains to the demon fox, no matter how pissed they made the shinigami.

As such, an order was issued that none of the Gotei 13 may assist the inhabitants of Konohagakure no Sato against the demon fox. And to ensure that the order was followed, the senkaimon gates were shut off and put under surveillance. But how, wondered Ichigo, how can they abandon their comrades, their allies during the Winter War, and their friends, to their fate. It was amongst such thoughts when he received an urgent summons from Yamamoto himself. Quickly flash-stepping to the Captains' meeting room, he was shocked to see several of the other captains, as well as a few of his live friends there as well. The collection of the elite of Soul Society then looked to the Captain General for an explanation.

"Now that we are all gathered here, I'll explain why I have summoned you," he began. "I trust that you all know of the Kyubi's attack on Konoha and of the dire situation that they are in." Ichigo, along with some of the more expressive of the gathering, frowned and gave a quiet nod. "You also know of Central 46's order, which prohibits us from going to assist them, in an attempt to avoid casualties among the leaders of Seireitei, especially with the recent conclusion of the Winter War only ten months ago. As they themselves have mentioned, many of us have yet to fully recover from our wounds, and proximity with such a negatively spiritual being would only aggravate them more, perhaps fatally so." Ichigo scowled at that and was about to retort when the aged shinigami continued.

"However, that will not stop us from trying to aid them in any way we can. I will not sit back and watch as our comrades are slaughtered. Unfortunately, none of the Gotei will be allowed to go, and the senkaimon are currently locked down and under supervision. The plan that I have in mind would only allow one of us to make it through." The assembly stared at him with wide eyes as he continued with his plan. Was Captain-General Yamamoto, who abided by every rule set by Central 46 to a fault, breaking one of said commands? Well, technically, he wasn't really breaking it, just finding a way around it, but it was a start. It's funny how much a war can change you.

"…and while the guards are occupied, Ichigo Kurosaki shall slip into the senkaimon gate to aid the shinobi of Konoha in the fight against the Kyubi. I have also sent word to Scania about the situation and they will be sending Seijero Fushichou and Ginjuumoku Mouki to aid you as well. That is all, dismissed!" At that, the captains scattered to their respective posts. As Ichigo was about to leave, however, Yamamoto grabbed him by the arm.

"Kurosaki-san, before you go, you need to know some things."

"What is it Yamamoto-taicho? Please make it quick, I don't think they can hold on for much longer," replied Ichigo. It was taking every ounce of patience he could muster to not just flash step to the aid of his friends.

"Yes, their situation is dire, but you must know this information. Kurotsuchi-taicho has informed me that, according to his readings, the Kyubi has a higher power level than Aizen." Ichigo stared with shock at the old shinigami's words. _More powerful than Aizen? Aizen was a monster! The only thing stronger than him would be a… full fledged demon… _Just as his mind processed the irony of his thoughts, Yamamoto spoke again.

"This has led me to believe that even with the combined forces that fought during the winter war, it may not be enough to win the battle. Therefore, you must take this with you." He then handed an ornate scroll to Ichigo.

"This is the summoning contract to _the _Shinigami." Continued Yamamoto

"What?"

"This is the very first Shinigami, said to be the origin of Zanpakuto. Legend has it that its power was what gave the Sokyoko the title of 'having the strength of one million zanpakuto. I want you to use this scroll to summon the Shinigami. All you have to do is wipe your blood on the scroll, and you can ask him to assist you in battle. I know little about the summoning, only that it is forbidden, since the Shinigami decided that its last summoner was not fit to command its power and devoured his soul. Use this if, and only if, you cannot defeat the demon fox by your own means. Now go, make haste! I fear that if we delay any longer there may not be a Konoha left to save, so go!"

By the time Yamamoto finished, Ichigo was already gone.

_Back in the Present time_:

_Shit, why the hell am I all the way out here? _Thought Ichigo, as he exited the gate. Suddenly, he heard a faint roar and felt enormous spiritual pressure and killing intent press in around him. He gasped and looked toward the horizon, where he saw smoke and an eerie red glow coming from the east. Without a moment's delay he rushed towards Konoha, activating his bankai and pulling on his Vizard mask. He was going to have to pull out all the stops for this one.

* * *

"FUUTON: RASENGAN!" yelled Minato as he shoved a giant swirling ball of chakra into the Kyubi's snout. The Kyubi roared in pain and glared at this new arrival. This one wasn't like the others. Power radiated off of him like no mortal he had ever seen. No matter. That power was still no match for its own awesome strength. The Kyubi took a quick slash at Minato but was momentarily surprised when it hit nothing but empty air. The demon then caught sight of a yellow flash further away to its side.

"Kuchiyose no-jutsu!" A giant cloud of smoke temporarily enveloped Minato and hid him from view before it cleared away, revealing a giant orange toad smoking a pipe.

"Eh? Minato, I thought you were gonna take it easy for a while. Why did you summon me?"

"Gamabunta, there's no time for that! Jump as high as you can, NOW!"

Knowing better than to question his summoner, Gamabunta leapt away in time to avoid the Kyubi's slashing teeth. _THE KYUBI?! What is it doing here? The demons never involve themselves with mortals! Why would it attack Konoha?_ Gamabunta didn't have time to ponder over his thoughts as one of the nine tails whipped out and grabbed him by the leg, throwing him into the ground. With a roar, the Kyubi leapt towards the giant toad, intent on tearing his throat out.

"GETSUGA TENSHO!"

A giant wave a black energy sliced through the air into the demon's flank, knocking it off course and giving time for Gamabunta to give it a good kick with both his hind legs to give himself some distance from the demon.

"Oi, what's the matter Bunta? It's not like you to get your ass kicked like this."

"Oh shut up," replied the irate toad. Minato, however, couldn't be happier when he saw the orange-haired shinigami.

"Ichigo! About time! Heh, you always pick the worst situations to show up at the last minute. Is Seijero and Ginjuumoku here with you?"

"Not yet, I didn't see them on the way h-"

"DRAGON PULSE!"

"HEAVEN'S HAMMER!"

The Kyubi was further enraged as a golden beam of light shot out of an ethereal dragon's mouth, exploding against its head and stunning it for a moment, before a giant hammer appeared in front of it and crashed down on top of its back.

"Seijero Fushichou, bow-master of Henesys, at your service."

"Ginjuumoku Mouki, paladin of Perion, reporting for duty."

"Oi! Sei, Ginjuu! Good to see you guys again!" said Ichigo. "Cheh, I see you still have that awful sense of style."

Seijero wore a steel-mesh long-sleeved shirt, a red tunic over it with a golden cross stitched on, along with baggy brown pants and grey boots. A red cape emblazoned with a golden phoenix on the back was fastened to the collar of his tunic and a large, feathered red hat sat on his black hair, which was tied back in a long ponytail with his bangs over his face. In his hands was a giant long-limbed bow. The bow glowed with an eerie golden light, giving an otherworldly feeling.

Ticked off yet again, the orange-haired shinigami earned another one of those patented "screw you" glares from the archer's piercing golden eyes.

"Fool! At least our armor has a use, unlike those black pajamas of yours. Yo, Ginjuu, back me up on this!"

Not really wanting to get in the middle of yet another pointless argument, Ginjuumoku decided to ignore him.

"Hey Minato, Ichigo. It's good to see you too. How long has it been? About a year since the end of the war?" he replied.

Ginjuumoku wore heavy, dark amethyst plate armor on his torso and thick, blackened steel-mesh pants. A long, navy blue haori was worn over his armor with large amethyst shoulder guards on top that bent upwards towards his neck, effectively shielding it on the sides. A matching set of hip guards and greaves were worn under the haori. On the back of the haori was a silver emblem of a turtle intertwined with a serpent that wrapped around its shell. The paladin topped off with an amethyst face guard that covered the sides of his head and wrapped around his forehead, keeping his dark blue disheveled hair in check. In his hands was a large claymore, humming with magic flowing through it.

"You know, as touching as this reunion is, we have bigger problems than catching up with one another." Even as the words left Minato's mouth, the Kyubi shook off its daze and glared at its assailants, intent on tearing them apart and sending them to oblivion.

"Alright then," said Seijero, a smirk appearing on his perpetually cheerful visage. "Let's get this party started."

With a furious roar, the nine-tailed fox leapt towards them, baring its teeth as it swept its tails towards them, the four defenders of Konohagakure no Sato charging in, meeting the demon head on.

_End Prologue 1_

**Another Author's Note**: So, how did you like that? I really liked how this came out, especially after scrapping 6 pages of work for the original prologue. I hope you guys understand what's going on right now and the flow was easy to follow. Yes, I know Kyubi might seem a _tad_ overpowered (ahem… _very_… ahem), but as Ichigo and Minato and the other upper generation characters are going to be a lot stronger (ex. Minato's already managed to add wind element chakra to his rasengan and can use different variations of it, but hasn't mastered it yet), and the Kyubi is supposed to be an all powerful lord of demons, I decided to give him a nice power boost (assuming he already isn't supposed to be this strong).

Seijero Fushichou and Ginjuumoku Mouki are made up characters from the world of Maple Story. Scania is the first server world created for the Global version of the game, so I named their world after it. 'Seijero' has no meaning as far as I know, but is the name of the archer that I made for the game (He's only lvl 60 though…, if only he really was a bow-master… T_T). Fushichou means phoenix in Japanese, and there is a reason for this, which will be revealed in the next chapter. Ginjuumoku, asides from being particularly long and difficult to type, means silver (Gin) all-eyes (juumoku- I figured it's sort of like "all-seeing eyes" type of thing). Mouki means "blind turtle". It's an interesting pun, and there is a reason for that too, which will be revealed later on.

REVIEW PLEASE! As it is my first time, reviewing is especially important to me. I don't mind if you have criticisms of my work, but keep it mainly about the writing style, grammar, flow, etc. If you have a criticism about one of _my_ characters, you may mention them, but just to let you know, most of the characters I make a certain way because that's what I want them to be. And yes, I know the Scanians' clothing seem tacky, but it's what I have in mind. :P I will not accept flames without good reason. Any and all questions related to the fic are welcomed.


	2. Act 0: Shubi: End of Legends pt 2

_Author's Note_: Hurrah! You're here! If you're reading this, then allow me to express my thanks in continuing to read the story. I'm incredibly sorry for the long wait, but I've been having some problems with getting this out of my head as well as school work and whatnot (majoring in engineering is not conducive to having free time…) Anyways, this is the second part of the prologue. I was going to split it up, since its so much longer than the previous part, but I decided against it in an effort to finish up and get on with the main story. After this chapter, the story will move on to focus more on the main characters of this story. Now for the finale of the prologue! (That's an oxymoronic statement in of itself...)

_Disclaimer_: I do not own Naruto, Bleach, Maple Story, Touhou or anything else that any characters, ideas, etc. in my story may come from. Any original characters/ideas/etc by me are mine though :P ~ Enjoy ~

* * *

_Prologue 2: SHUBI - End of Legends ~ Burning Hearts_

_Back in Soul Society_:

"Kaa-saaaan!" a voice rang out throughout Seireitei. Orihime Kurosaki just barely managed to turn around before a red blur plowed into her stomach.

"Oof! Ukiyo-chan?" Orihime managed to gasp out. "What are you doing here?" The little girl in question looked up at her mother with large brown eyes and a beaming smile.

"Kaa-san! I missed you! Where have you been? Is Tou-san here? I wanna play with Zangetsu-ossan again!"

"Ukiyo-chan, I'm glad that you're so happy to see me, but you shouldn't call Zangetsu-san that. You should treat a zanpakuto with more respect."

"Aww, but that's what Tou-san always calls him." At that, Orihime let out a soft chuckle. Ichigo was never one to show a whole lot of respect to many people, even if he really did on the inside. Looking down, she broke into a smile as she gazed upon her daughter, Ukiyo Kurosaki. She was only three years old, but was growing at an astounding rate, both physically and mentally. She already had the appearance of a five year old and could think like one too. Curiously enough, instead of the flaming orange hair that was shared by both her parents, she had apple red hair. Apparently, it had to do with the fact that both Ichigo's and Orihime's families primarily had dark hair, and the normally dominant gene mixed in with both parent's recessive orange hair and turned out her darker shade of red. It didn't make much sense to Orihime, but she didn't care either way. Physically, she took more after her mother, except for the coloring of her eyes which she inherited from Ichigo.

However, what really intrigued her, and many others in Soul Society (including, unfortunately, a certain outlandish scientist in the Gotei), was Ukiyo's ability to communicate with the zanpakuto of others. She still didn't quite understand the concept of souls and such, but was aware of the sentient beings existing in an otherwise inanimate object. It could be a side effect of spending so much time in such a reiatsu-enriched environment, or it could just be a natural ability she developed, but it was without a doubt in the minds of many that she would one day become a great shinigami with her abilities. Ichigo and Orihime could care less about that though. As long as she lived the long, fulfilling, happy life that was her namesake, they didn't care what she wanted to do. Well, within reason, of course. Anyways, she was only three years old. There would be plenty of time to worry about Ukiyo's future.

At the moment though, Orihime was worried more about the immediate futures of the residents of Konoha and its defenders, particularly Ichigo. As strong as he was, she knew he had a habit of forgetting the value of his own life. She wished that he wouldn't force himself into such dangerous situations, although she knew that she herself would do the same thing to protect those she loved.

"Kaa-san? Are you okay?" Ukiyo said quietly.

"Hmm?" said Orihime, suddenly shaken from her thoughts. "Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about your Tou-san. Why, does it look like something's wrong with me?"

"Ano… you had that thinking look on your face, like you sometimes do when Tou-san goes out to do work. Is that where Tou-san is? Is he working again?"

_Hmm. Such a bright girl…_ "Yeah, he's at work again…" Orihime replied. "He'll be back soon though. Maybe he'll even bring back a souvenir for you. And then he'll play with you again." She said with a smile.

"Yay! Um… what's a souvenir?"

* * *

_Somewhere in the Land of Fire:_

"GRAAAAHH!" cried Ichigo as he was sent careening into the ground for the umpteenth time. The orange-haired shinigami on his family's mind was not doing quite as well as they were hoping. _Aw man, I'm gonna be really sore in the morning…_His thoughts were cut short as an enormous tail whipped down towards him. A timely flash step saved himself from being crushed and brought himself back into the fray. Looking over his comrades, he noticed that all of them were in generally the same condition as he was. Bruised, battered, but still defiant. With a loud cry, he dashed back in to inflict more damage upon the demon.

_Alright, it seems that we've completely got its attention now. I think we're far enough from the village to stop holding back._ As these thoughts passed through Minato's mind, he gave the other fighters the signal. "Alright, Gamabunta, it's time to take this up a notch. We're gonna give the signal now."

"About time," replied the toad boss. _Heh. Only these four would still be holding back. It's taking all I got just to dodge this guy's attacks…_

"Ready the oil! Katon: Gamayu Endan!" At his summoner's signal, Gamabunta sprayed an enormous quantity of oil, which was simultaneously ignited by a fire jutsu from Minato. Detecting the raging inferno bearing upon it, the Kyubi made to leap away.

"Oh no you don't. Bowman's Arte: Hamstring!" Following the incantation, Seijero let loose a golden arrow that struck one of the Kyubi's hind legs, forming a spiral shaped seal around the point of impact. The leg suddenly gave way as the technique shut off the nerve signals going through it, and the Kyubi stumbled and collapsed instead of jumping away. Knowing the temporary confusion and disability would not last long, Ichigo and Ginjuumoku acted quickly, intent on dealing as much damage as possible while the demon kitsune was down.

"Alright, take this! GETSUGA TENSHOU!" cried Ichigo as he let loose his signature move.

"Heaven's Hammer!" A shaft of light formed in Ginjuumoku's hands and grew until it formed a giant golden hammer, bigger than the Hokage Tower. With a grunt, the Paladin swung the hammer down. All three attacks collided in a huge explosion, with the Kyubi no Kitsune in its center. The three defenders touched down on Gamabunta's head, relieved to catch a breather beside Minato.

"Haha! Take that you oversized fuzz ball!" yelled Seijero. As soon as the words left his mouth, said 'oversized fuzz ball' regained its bearings and gave a mighty roar that caused the surrounding plant life to wither.

"Wow. That was… refreshing." The others could only glare at the bowmaster and wonder where he got the gall to make such smart-ass retorts at such an inappropriate time. "Well, since we're far enough away, I think a little rough housing is in order. Oi, Ginjuu, how about we bring some friends to the party eh?"

"Heh, sounds good to me," replied the paladin. Together, the two inhabitants of Scania leapt off of Gamabunta and ran towards either side of the Kyubi.

"Spirit of the earth, come forth to aid thy summoner in defending what is precious to him. Show the enemy thy mountainous determination and unyielding resolve to protect what we hold dear! Spirit Summoning: Guardian of the North: Perion!" At the end of the chant, Ginjuumoku slammed his fist into the ground, which started breaking away. As the ground started collapsing into itself, it suddenly rose up and crumbled away, revealing an enormous creature that gave off a low pitched roar. The creature shook off the excess rubble, revealing itself to be a black turtle with a stony gray shell. The shell looked to be made of rock, resembling a mountain with the countless peaks and ridges. One of the larger "peaks" on its shell had a cavern in the side, out from which emerged the head of a large wooden snake. The serpent head hissed angrily and bore its fangs at the Kyubi while the turtle head snapped threateningly.

"Spirit of fire, unleash your rage and purge the enemy with the inferno of your presence. Take flight and lead the way to victory. As fire battles fire, so too shall you do battle! Spirit Summoning: Guardian of the South: Henesys!" With his chant completed, Seijero shot a burning bolt into the sky. As the arrow traveled through the air, it grew larger in size and eventually burst, a massive scarlet phoenix emerging from the explosion. The magnificent bird screeched and flew back to its summoner, hovering above him protectively.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Not wanting to be outdone, Minato unleashed a summoning of his own. This time, he brought forth two more battle toads, one with a large battle fork and shield, the other with two katana strapped to its back.

Ichigo couldn't help but whistle as he looked over the collection of summons. "Geez Minato, someone's been working overtime. Gamabunta, Gamaken, and Gamashiro all at once, wow. I'm thinking you gotta spend a little more time with your woman instead of training all the time." Minato chuckled slightly at his friend's comment, but quickly sobered up at the thought of Kushina and his newly born son. _I swear on my life that I will defeat the Kyubi and make sure that it never harms anyone again!_

The Kyubi no Kitsune glared at its opponents in front of it. It had never encountered pests as bothersome as these. Throughout its entire existence, there have been few, if any, able to challenge its awesome power. But here! Right in front of the demon's glaring eyes was a foe that not only had the gall to challenge it, but had enough power to possibly be a threat! Somewhere in the depths of its mind, a scrap of sentience told it to leave, that it should not be fighting the humans, but the overwhelming insanity and rage saturating its mind crushed the thought in an instant.

The demon fox then leapt forward, intent on destroying the enemies directly in front of its eyes before dealing with the other pests on the sides. Minato, Ichigo, and the three battle toads were forced to scatter lest they suffer the wrath of the king of Bijuu.

"Bowman's Arte: Storm of Arrows!" As the skill was called out, ethereal feathered wings formed over Seijero's bow, which then unleashed an unrelenting torrent of bright arrows towards the Kyubi. Henesys followed suit, hurling down streams of fire upon the demon fox as it rushed past to attack its target. The Kyubi remained unperturbed, the hide of dense chakra along its body scattering the projectiles like toothpicks.

"Dammit! Heads up guys!" Seijero yelled as he continued firing arrows at the charging fox.

"Shoot the face, dumbass! The face!" Ichigo yelled as he dodged a slash of the demon's claws and retaliated with a wave of black reiatsu before flash-stepping out of range.

"You think I don't know that? I'm the expert marksman here!" the bowmaster yelled back. As he did so, he disappeared in a flash of fire and reappeared in front of the Nine Tailed Fox, aiming for its more vulnerable face. A mouthful of arrows later, the Kyubi roared in annoyance as it shook its head to avoid the onslaught. Seijero wouldn't have it, and used his fine dexterity to match the Kyubi's movements, making sure the stream of arrows consistently landed on target. Having had enough, the demon spun around, whipping its tails in a wide arc in an attempt to hit the bowmaster. Unable to get away in time, Seijero could only curse as one of the tails managed to clip him in his side with the tip and sent him skidding along the ground. As the scarlet-clad archer flew past them, the battle toads moved in to attack, but the Kyubi shot a beam of energy from its mouth, intent on vaporizing them along with the downed archer that was now behind them. Minato quickly teleported off of Gamabunta's head and grabbed Seijero before the beam reached them, the three battle toads scattering once again to avoid the attack.

As they dodged, Gamaken and Gamashiro drew their weapons, flanking the demon and unleashing hoarse battle cries as they leapt towards their target. The demon fox reacted quickly, grabbing Gamaken's battle fork in its teeth and throwing it towards the other oncoming toad. Gamashiro managed to leap over the airborne toad in time to avoid a head on collision and raised his swords in an attempt to slice into the Kyubi on his decent, only to have a massive tail smash into his torso, redirecting him to crash into the still recovering Gamaken. The Kyubi then charged an orb of its vile chakra in its mouth, only to have a mountain of stone and earth rise up and smash into its chin, redirecting the blast towards the sky. The demon fox roared as it turned towards its latest assailant, the testudine guardian of earth.

"Perion, again!" yelled Ginjuumoku as the Kyubi made its way towards the paladin. The guardian stomped the ground again, causing another mountain of earth to rise up and punch the demon fox in the stomach. With a flick of its tail, the Kyubi reduced the mountain to rubble and prepared to leap towards the turtle, only to have the forest suddenly grow out and wrap around its limbs. The wooden serpent stretched out of the turtle's shell and wrapped itself around the demon fox, only to recoil and retreat as its intense chakra scalded the snake and burned the plant life restraining it.

At this, Ginjuumoku scowled. _It seems that Perion is ill suited to deal with the demon fox. Raising mountains does little when a single swipe of one of its tails reduces them to rubble, and wood only burns when it comes in contact with its chakra._ All of the sudden, the Kyubi quickly snapped the burning wood and leapt towards him, latching on to the giant turtle with its tails, and, of all things, made to throw the heavier beast into the air. Its efforts were cut short when the scarlet phoenix, surrounded by a blaze of fire, rammed into the Kyubi's side and toppled it over. Knocked onto its side, the Kyubi was crushed as the earthen guardian fell on top of it, pinning the fox on the ground. Not wanting to waste an opportune moment, Perion then latched onto the Kyubi's throat with its beak like jaws and tried to tear it out, attempting to ignore the searing pain inflicted upon itself as it made contact with the demon's dense chakra and poisonous blood. Roaring in pain, the demon fox started battering away at the giant turtle in an attempt to free itself. The testudine stubbornly held fast, even while it was being hammered by blows strong enough to reduce mountains to ruins.

"Hold tight Perion!" Ginjuumoku yelled as he leapt off the guardian's head. Raising his greatsword in front of him, he put the flat of his hand on top and yelled.

"Knight's Arte: Holy Charge!" Light gathered around the paladin while in mid-air, converging on his greatsword as he raised it above his head. As he descended, the light around Ginjuumoku's greatsword transformed into a giant sword of its own, making it as if the paladin was wielding an enormous slab of light straight from the heavens.

With another battle cry, Ginjuumoku stabbed the sword down into the middle of the Kyubi's forehead. The demon roared in pain as the light energies mixed and clashed with its own demonic chakra. It took all his strength to keep the sword in place as the demon writhed from under him and his guardian. Before he could be thrown off, he quickly prepared another skill. The light converging around the sword then focused towards the tip stuck in the Kyubi's skull. The light compressed itself until it was no longer stable.

"Fourth Charge: Blast of Light!" The ball of light then exploded, sending a blinding amount of pain into the demon fox and subsequently blowing Ginjuumoku away as well. _Ugh, looks like the mixing light and dark energies created an instability in that armor of chakra, blowing it away temporarily._ Ginjuumoku thought. The other warriors noticed this as well and immediately rushed in to attack.

"Gamaken, Gamashiro! Get up! Attack the Kyubi while it's still down!" roared Gamabunta as he drew his dagger. The three battle toads charged towards the demon fox once again.

"Ichigo! Attack from the right!" yelled Minato while he charged towards the left. Following his friend's orders, Ichigo leapt away to back Minato up in a classic pincer maneuver, their immense speeds quickly overtaking the three toads. Ichigo powered up a Getsuga Tensho and stored its immense destructive power in his sword for a direct attack while Minato's Fuuton: Rasengan sprung to life in his hand.

The fox stopped hammering away at the turtle summon and swung its tails out to halt its attackers once again. The wooden serpent stretched out once more and hissed angrily. The surrounding plant life answered its call and grew out to intercept the tails, wrapping around them and halting their progress. The living fetters didn't last long however, as the demon fox's chakra burned through the branches holding it in a few seconds. But those few seconds were more than enough. Before the Kyubi could resume its assault, Ichigo and Minato had already plowed their attacks into opposite sides of the demon fox. The two assailants allowed a small feeling of satisfaction at the feeling of wrenching flesh and the following howl of pain before they leapt away. Before the roar even finished, the three battle toads were already upon the felled demon and collectively swung their weapons towards the fox with all the strength they could muster. The attacks connected, throwing up a large explosion of dirt and debris from the force.

"Alright, way to go!" laughed Seijero. "Move aside guys, it's our turn. Henesys! Let's give the oversized fur ball a little toasting, shall we?" The bow master then proceeded to draw his bow, notching an arrow that spontaneously combusted while his summon climbed higher into the sky. Fire began dancing around him while condensing into bright orange orbs while the fire phoenix went ablaze and wrapped its wings around itself, as if it was hugging its own body. The rest of the group quickly retreated to a safe distance, knowing well from experience that the pyromaniac was completely incapable of doing anything lightly when it came to fire.

"Guardian Arte: Inferno!" At the declaration of the technique, Seijero let loose his arrow, the orbs of light following it in a blazing arc towards the cloud of dust where the Kyubi lay. At the same time, Henesys violently unfurled its wings, letting loose hundreds of flaming feathers that expanded in size as it descended towards its target. The collective flaming projectiles crashed into the Kyubi, creating a brilliant conflagration that lit up the sky.

"Haha, alright! We finally got 'em! There's no way fuzzy could've gotten out of that one unscathed." Seijero promptly declared in victory. Shortly after, he shook and fell to his knees, exhaustion taking its toll.

"Looks like you couldn't put up with it any more even if it _did_ end up making it out of that." Ginjuumoku replied, haori tattered and armor covered in scorch marks from the previous explosion. _Although I don't think the rest of us have much energy left either. We've been fighting this thing for almost an hour! We won't make much longer it if it gets back up and still decides to fight._

"Hey guys, stay on your toes. I don't think it's quite down for the count yet." Minato stated, warily keeping an eye on the cloud of dust before him. _Although I hope it is…_ Seijero let out a groan, but got to his feet anyway. As soon as he did so, a blast of demonic chakra blew out of the cloud of dust, dissipating it and knocking the defenders of Konoha off their feet.

The summons, who were large enough to keep their bearings, quickly rushed in for a counter-attack, the battle toads drawing their respective weapons in another attempt for a melee assault, while Henesys and Perion opted for ranged assault and launched a hail of fire and earth to cover the charging warriors. Just before the summons' projectiles reached the figure within the still lingering cloud of dust, the demon fox unleashed an ear-splitting roar, followed by an enormous wave of vile chakra, blowing away the fire and earth like chaff in the wind and plowing into the still charging battle toads, forcing Gamaken and Gamashiro to dispel themselves before they were obliterated by the blast.

Gamabunta braced himself for the blast, quickly throwing up a shield of water and mud to absorb as much of the impact as possible, even though he knew on the inside that it wouldn't do much good. The toad boss roared as he was thrown back by the force, crying out as he crashed into the ground several hundred meters away.

"Gamabunta!" Minato cried out, quickly teleporting over to warrior toad's side. "Are you all right? Get out of here while you still can!" The toad boss groaned heavily, but managed to get back to his feet and raised his battle knife once more in defiance.

"Urgh, don't worry about me. I can still keep going for a while longer."

Minato looked worriedly over his friend before turning back to the Demon Fox, now fully visible with the cloud of dust blown away. The great fox was covered head to toe in burn marks, where the infernal hail seared through its pelt. Bits of white bone peeked out of great lacerations, bleeding where Zangetsu and the battle toads' weapons tore into its side.

The Lord of Demons glared at the defenders of Konoha with an enraged gaze that could have killed lesser beings. But in spite of that, Minato couldn't help but let a smug smile appear on his lips. Despite the damage that they had taken, despite the beatings they had endured, they had managed to return the favor. At this point, he allowed a small thought to pass through his mind. Something of a selfish desire which he had pushed aside in favor of the determination to do anything he could to defend Konoha, as well as in favor of not potentially jinxing their efforts as a twisted act of fate. He allowed a glimmer of a thought that he, and his friends, would be able to not only successfully save the Village Hidden in the Leaves from the great Kyubi no Kitsune, but come back alive: to those who were waiting for them.

"Heh, looks like ol' fuzz ball is worse off than we are. I think a couple more blows like that'll take care of it for good," remarked Seijero.

"Do you even have enough energy for 'a couple more of those'? Last I checked, you were panting on the ground," Ginjuumoku replied.

"Doesn't matter," Ichigo stated before the riled bow master could reply. "We still have to finish this. Even if we're out of energy, we still have to take this sucker down. 'Cuz there's no other option if we're gonna protect Konoha."

The defenders then refocused their attention on the Kyubi which had grown strangely silent other than the occasional guttural growls uttered in their direction. They could only wonder what the Kyubi was about to do, when all of the sudden, the demon fox unleashed another colossal roar and expelled a blaze of crimson chakra that washed over them. The defenders and their summons quickly braced themselves for another shockwave, but it never came.

"Shit, that's a lot of energy coming off of that thing," remarked Seijero. "Hey guys, ya think it'll be better if we hit it before… it… Oh …"

The others didn't bother replying, a look of mixed horror and frustration appearing on each of their faces as they witnessed what was occurring before them.

"H-hey… This is a joke, right? For the love of god, you've gotta be kidding me…" the horror-struck archer sputtered.

"To think, after all that…, it has the energy to pull something like this off…" Ginjuumoku murmured.

_I knew this was going too well… Looks like my assumptions are correct_. Thought Minato as the Kyubi, before their very eyes, healed every single wound upon it. _Its defensive abilities are nothing special. That's why we managed to inflict so much damage on it. Even some sort of regenerative ability was expected. It would have been foolish not to. However…_

Torn flesh knitted back together. Burned flesh peeled away, leaving healed tissue underneath. Skin closed in around exposed muscle and fur grew back where it was burned away. Even the great lacerations in its side closed up as if nothing ever happened.

_There's been no change to its strength. If anything, it seems even more powerful than before. This is the worst possible combination._

_It's offensive strength, regenerative abilities, and furthermore, the stupidly immense amount of chakra that it possesses for such abilities…_

The Kyubi no Kitsune, without a scratch on it, in all its glory, let out a resounding howl through the night as it leapt once more towards the defenders of Konoha. This time, they weren't so sure how much longer they would be able to keep away.

_May be completely beyond what we can deal with…_

* * *

_30-min prior: Konohagakure no Sato_

Kakashi Hatake stared out into the horizon, staring in the direction he knew his sensei and sempai to be. He listened for the distant crashes and roars that signaled that the horrifying being known as the Kyubi no Kitsune was still out there. And furthermore, he watched the distant flashes of clashing powers, the faint figures on the horizon of the giant summons; the signs that the defenders were still fighting, still alive. He watched the hope of the village as they fought on. Behind him, he could still hear Kushina humming softly to the newborn lying in her arms. The cycloptic teenager let a small smile form underneath his mask. As soon as Kushina managed to get herself tangible enough to hold on to Naruto a mere ten minutes into her death, she had never let go of him, never stopped showering him in as much love as she could, the love that she should have been able to shower him in for years to come. Her efforts were not without fruit, as despite having a monstrous demon raging a few miles from the village, the infant had never cried or shown any signs of discomfort within his mother's arms.

At the sound of a sudden gasp, Kakashi turned around sharply, wary for any signs of possible danger. Confirming that there were none (_other than the hair ball thrashing around miles away_, he thought to himself) he turned to Kushina. He was about to ask what was wrong, but stopped himself. Her face was extremely pale and bore signs of extreme pain, all the while sweating profusely. Naruto shifted uncomfortably in her arms at the sudden expression of pain, but Kushina reined it in before it could disturb him further. She was still a fresh soul. A soul newly separated from a body through death was still unstable, only the memories and remaining life-will of the person held it together until their reiatsu stabilized itself enough to maintain a corporeal form. Such was the power of the human will. _Of course_, Kakashi thought, _it is this very same power that births hollows_.

Still, with the Kyubi in such close proximity as it was, it was a wonder she could last this long. He wanted to tell her to leave for safety, that Naruto would be safe with his protection. If she left for the afterlife now, there would still be a chance to see him again in the future. But Kakashi knew his teacher's wife better. It was not a matter of Naruto's safety or ever seeing him again. It was the matter that she was his mother. And that she would not be able to give him the love and care he should have had. Despite the agonizing pain she must have been going through to keep her corporeal form intact, she just wanted to be with him, to be his mother for as long as possible.

"Kakashi!" Both he and Kushina turned towards the door, where Hiruzen Sarutobi stood. He was flanked on both sides by Rin, Kakashi's teammate and close friend, and Hayate, a young, newly instated chunin that he had worked with a few times. Both smiled when they saw him, glad to see another friendly face in this crisis.

"Kakashi, we have a problem- Kushina?" The former Hokage could only stare at her, a dumbfounded expression on his aged face. "Kushina, what are you doing here? You should have evacuated to the shelter long ago."

It was then that he noticed two things. One, she was holding onto a small bundle in her arms. A small bundle with a mop of bright yellow hair. As his mind fumbled to process the new information, he looked to Kushina, and realized her current "condition".

"Hey there…, Jii-san," she greeted while struggling to smile.

"Kushina…" The Hokage was at a loss for words. In between fighting the Kyubi and struggling to get the villagers to safety, all the while maintaining the order of the village, Hiruzen was stressed out beyond belief. And now, he realizes that not only did his successor now have a son, said successor had just lost his wife. _I am getting much too old for this…_

Picking up on the awkwardness, Rin decided to break the silence, "Oh my, congratulations Kushina-san! He's so adorable!" Rin strode over to Kushina and Naruto, admiring his features while continuing to talk to Kushina. Once Hiruzen straightened out his thoughts, he spoke to Hayate.

"Hayate-san, you probably don't know this, but that child is the newborn son of Minato Namikaze." Hayate's eyes widened in surprise. _Minato had a wife? Since when? Wait…is she… dead?_

"And I'd appreciate it if you kept this a secret for the time being. This isn't something to be revealed until the proper time." The chunin swordsman nodded.

"Yes Sandaime-sama." He then turned to Kushina. "It is an honor to meet you, Namikaze-sama." Kushina twitched at the honorific, but didn't have the energy to argue.

"Now, Kakashi, Kushina, as I was saying before, we have a problem on our hands now." With everyone's attention turned to him, he was about to continue when a howl tore through the air. But this wasn't the same as the ear-splitting roars permeating the village about an hour earlier. This howl was ghastly, and reverberated through the air while sending chills through their spine. Hayate couldn't help but shudder when he heard it. _Wh- what is this? It feels like its piercing into my soul. Is… is this from_ _that _thing _we scouted just now?_

But for those who fought with the Ichigo and the other shinigami who fell into their world, for those who had entered the shinigami's realm to fight in the Winter War, there was no mistaking that sound. _Hollows…_

"Well, that's the problem." Hiruzen noted straightforwardly. Kakashi was the first to respond.

"How is this possible? There shouldn't be any hollows at this time! Hollows detest the feeling of chakra, and even the more powerful ones would be driven away by that of the Kyubi's."

"These… these aren't from Hueco Mundo, are they Jii-san?" The four of them turned towards Kushina, a tired, but grave look on her face.

"These hollows… these are the shinobi who perished fighting the Kyubi, aren't they…" Rin, and Hayate could only stare in shock at her, the same thought running through their minds. _Those monsters were human? _Hiruzen looked at her sadly.

"You feel it too, don't you?"

Kushina nodded, "Yes… Every minute I stay here… I almost feel like I'm about to fall apart." She winced again as another spasm of pain spread through her body. "It feels as if… as I'm descending into the Kyubi's madness that's enveloping me…

"But… I can't- I can't just leave Naruto-chan here like this. I don't want to leave him so soon…" At this, she let a few drops of tears fall down her face, and she held her newborn son closer, this time more to comfort herself than anything.

"Kushina-san, how much has your chain of fate deteriorated?" The aged former-Hokage asked. Rin and Hayate looked at him with confused looks on their faces, not quite sure what he was asking. Kushina took a moment to recollect herself, and then lowered Naruto slightly to allow Hiruzen to take a look at the broken chain attached to her chest.

"Just as I feared," he sighed, staring at the chain that was barely a foot long, much shorter than it should have been so soon after death. "It seems that the Kyubi's chakra is accelerating the degeneration process. I suppose its volatile nature is too much for newly released souls to support in such an unstable state."

"Excuse me Sandaime-sama," Hayate asked. "Would you mind explaining what's going on?"

"Hmm, I suppose the two of you wouldn't know much about them. Those monsters you glimpsed earlier, they used to be human, as hard as it is to believe." Hayate and Rin decided to keep silent, opting to listen to the entire explanation first before asking more questions.

"Hollows are fallen souls, born from either staying in the living realm too long without moving on, or as a manifestation of overwhelming amounts of negative emotions felt during death. In this case, it seems that the transformations are occurring at a greatly increased pace because of both the Kyubi's corruptive chakra and the intense negative emotions felt by those who were felled by it." He turned towards Hayate and Rin, ready to answer the inevitable questions that would come. Surprisingly, it was Rin who was the first to speak.

"As much as I'd like a more detailed explanation about these… Hollows, Sandaime-sama, I think it'll have to wait. For now, what are we supposed to do about them? Are they even dangerous? I mean, the ones we saw were only wandering around, like they were lost or something. Then you rush out as soon as we give the report and lead us here, so I assume that they're something that we have to deal with quickly. And Kakashi, I still expect a _very_ detailed explanation from you about what happened last year, especially since you seem to know what these are." She said while shooting Kakashi a dangerous look.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to get on that when this is over," Kakashi said, averting his eyes from Rin's reprimanding gaze. Hey, it wasn't like he was hiding anything from her, he just never really had the time to tell her, with the heavy backlog of missions after returning from the shinigami's world, Minato and Kushina's private wedding, the first issue of Icha Icha Paradise… yea, busy days. "I'll make it quick. Yes hollows are dangerous, because they eat souls and yes, we need to do something about them. But that's the problem. Normally shinigami are needed to purify them and restore them to their normal state. Such recently born hollows are hardly a threat to shinobi of upper chunin or higher unless they have some sort of special ability. The biggest problem is that if we destroy them the way they are, they'll be erased from existence. And these aren't just the scum of the earth that simply became the monsters that they really are, these hollows were born from the souls of our friends and allies."

"So basically," Hayate cut in, "we have to make a decision as to whether we should leave them be and potentially further risk the safety of the villagers, or kill them and forfeit the chance of redeeming their souls."

The group fell silent at this, mulling over their thoughts and trying to think up of a plausible solution.

"There's really no way for us to restore them?" Rin asked.

"Not as of now," Hiruzen replied, "as Kakashi said, only shinigami have a method of purifying hollows and the only shinigami in the vicinity is currently helping to fight off the Kyubi. The best thing we can hope for is that Minato-san and Kurosaki-san defeat the Kyubi soon and come back to purify the hollows, but that will most likely not be possible." He closed his eyes in thought, quickly putting together a plan of action that would protect the villagers as well as save the souls of the hollows currently roaming around the village. After a moment, he reopened his eyes and spoke.

"Alright, here are your orders."

* * *

_Outer Regions of the Land of Fire:_

"Bowman's Arte: Storm of Arrows!" Another unrelenting flurry of arrows flew towards the Kyubi, but the fox demon repelled the arrows with its dense chakra. Seijero cursed loudly, leaping away to avoid another paw set on crushing him into the ground. Another round of expletives escaped his mouth as he was forced to dodge a beam of chakra. He ducked under the beam, wincing as the intense heat singed the feather in his hat.

_Geez, that was close. It's getting harder to keep up with this sucker. We're getting too tired, and it's like the Kyubi has an infinite amount of energy. It hasn't slowed down since it healed itself._

Preparing another skill to attack the Kyubi with, the bowmaster was unprepared for the tail that suddenly came swinging his way.

"Oh shi-"

"Power Guard!" Ginjuumoku leapt in between Seijero and the oncoming tail, a translucent shield appearing in front of him briefly before the tail crashed into it. The Kyubi's tail bounced off the shield, but the incredible force behind it sent both Seijero and Ginjuumoku flying through the air, crashing into the ground with a loud thud.

"Ugh. On one hand, I'm glad your armor's tough enough to take hits like that. On the other, my ribs say otherwise." Seijero complained, his head still ringing from the collision with his heavily armored friend.

"If you're going to complain, then make sure you don't need saving next time," Ginjuumoku replied with a grunt.

"Yeah, yeah, now haul your heavy ass off me."

"Getsuga Tensho!" The black wave of energy sliced towards the Kyubi again, but it jumped to the side, avoiding Ichigo's attack is it grazed its shoulder. With a roar, the demon fox charged towards the shinigami, forcing him to flash step away. He reappeared above the Kyubi, stabbing his sword downward in an attempt to pierce the back of the Kyubi's head. The sword sunk into the dense layer of chakra, but didn't quite reach the demon's skull.

"Not enough, huh? Then take this!" Charging more of his reiatsu into Zangetsu, Ichigo gave the sword another shove, "GETSUGA TENSHO!"

The Kyubi roared in pain as it felt the sword's energies split the chakra layer around its neck and pierce into the base of its skull. Ichigo held on tightly as the Kyubi tried to shake him off, shoving more energy into the blade in an attempt to force the sharp reiatsu deeper into the demon's skull. So focused on his task, he didn't notice the red chakra churning beneath him, forming a large clawed fist that plowed into his stomach, sending him soaring away.

As the orange-haired shinigami bounced past, Gamabunta leapt towards the Kyubi, webbed fingers blurring as he formed a jutsu.

"Suiton: Teppodama!" Bullets of water shot out of the toad's mouth at great velocities, heading straight towards the Kyubi. From on top of Gamabunta's head, Minato formed seals of his own.

"Fuuton: Reppusho!" The violent winds expelled from Minato's body propelled the water bullets forward even faster, only stopping once they exploded against the Nine-tailed fox's side. Shaking off the lingering pain in the back of its head, it turned towards its most recent assailant, ignoring the stinging blows to its body. Minato and Gamabunta kept up the barrage, even as the Kyubi charged towards him. When it got too close, Gamabunta drew his dagger and parried a swipe of the Kyubi's claws. The demon fox took another swipe and the toad boss was forced to parry again, arms ringing from the force of the blows.

_Ugh, I can't keep this up. I'm just deflecting the blows, but it feels like my arms are about to break with each hit._

Minato leapt off his summon's head, spiraling sphere of chakra forming in his palm as he prepared to shove his signature technique in the demon's face. The demon fox saw it coming though, and launched arms of chakra from its body to knock him away.

The toad boss lunged forward, attempting to stab the Kyubi in the throat, but it twisted its head to the side. Gamabunta's eyes widened as his desperate thrust only managed to cut a thin slice through the side of the demon's face, gleaming teeth nearing his own unprotected face. In a frantic endeavor, Gamabunta leaned to the side, groaning as the Kyubi's maw closed around his arm instead of his throat.

A mound earth rose from underneath them, punching the Kyubi's abdomen and pushing it back, the sudden blow forcing it to release Gamabunta's arm. Perion growled and stomped again, sending a veritable river of earth and stone crashing into the Kyubi, burying it in an attempt to seal it into the earth. An explosion of demonic chakra blew away the rubble, pummeling Gamabunta with the debris and knocking him away. Fire then rained down on top of the Kyubi as Henesys dove down to claw and peck at the demon fox. Perion quickly closed in, manipulating the earth and surrounding plant life to assault the fox as well as defend the fire phoenix as it attacked.

"Gamabunta, are you alright?" Minato asked as he got back up. The toad slapped some hastily made mud onto the wound to stop the bleeding, wincing at the sting of the crude poultice.

"I'm alright for now, somehow. I think I'm gonna treat those two to a drink once we're outta here," he let out with a weak chuckle. "Haven't had anyone save my hide this many times, summon or not."

"I… uh… don't think they drink… but we'll talk about that another time."

After making sure the Kyubi was currently occupied, Minato used his Hiraishin, teleporting to where Ichigo lay.

"Hey, you alright in there?" the blonde ninja asked.

"Well… other than getting sucker punched by some freaky appendage coming out of a demon's neck, then sure, I'm just dandy. Now help me up." Ichigo replied. Minato chuckled and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the human-shaped crater he lay in.

"I gotta say, the longer we fight this thing, the more surprises we find." Ichigo spat, irritation clearly detectable in his voice. "And I for one can't take too many more surprises."

Minato smiled at that, but didn't have the energy to laugh. He looked his friend over for any serious injuries, but found nothing immediately life-threatening. Not that he'd let injuries of any sort stop him anyway. Both fighters panted heavily, relishing in the much needed, albeit momentary, breather. Seijero and Ginjuumoku could be seen rushing back towards the Kyubi, their summons continuing to hold it off at bay. All of them looked worse for the wear. Blood and dirt smeared their clothes, which were torn in various places. Even Ginjuumoku's heavy armor sported numerous cracks and dents in them. Minato looked at Ichigo and noticed that more than half of his mask was gone, worn out through either reiatsu consumption or merely broken through sheer force. Both were bleeding in multiple places, although the Scanians' potions managed to stop the worst of it, as well as alleviate some of the pain. Too bad they were running out of them.

"Ichigo, we need a plan. At the rate we're going, we'll be completely run over. We can't match its endurance, we can't match its power, and its regenerative abilities nullify whatever weakness it does have. The only think we have going for us is that we can break through the Kyubi's defenses, but it can just regenerate whatever damage we inflict on it. There has to be some way to defeat this thing." Minato sat in thought for a little while.

"There's a technique that I've been working on as soon as I heard news of the Kyubi's arrival, but I haven't had much time to work on it. And with Kushina suddenly entering labor so soon…"

"Wait what?"

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you. Kushina and I are parents now." Minato said with a wide smile. Ichigo stared at him for a moment, letting the full statement process through his mind.

"Wow, congratulations! You're a daddy now." Ichigo laughed out while slapping his friend on the shoulder. Minato winced at the pain of sudden contact, to which Ichigo sheepishly apologized to.

"So, is it a boy or girl?"

"Boy."

"You name him yet?"

"Yeah, his name's Naruto."

"Pffft! You _actually_ named him after a ramen topping?"

"Oi, I didn't name him just because of ramen! It was inspired by Jiraiya sensei's book! And besides, Kushina would have killed me if I had named him after ramen."

"Hey, how is she now anyway?" Minato stayed silent for a moment before answering, thoughts of his late wife running through his mind.

"She… she didn't make it. The stress of childbirth… and of the Kyubi's attack..." Ichigo stared at him, shocked. Childbirth was the last thing he expected her to die of.

"I see…" They sat in silence for a little while longer, before another roar and crash broke them out of their reverie.

"Alright, you said you had some kind of technique you were working on?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, but it's not complete. It's a sealing technique Kushina and I managed to scrape out through the forbidden scrolls and some historical documents, but it won't be enough by itself." Minato replied. "You wouldn't happen to conveniently have some kind of mysterious artifact from Soul Society that can potentially destroy the world on you, do you?"

"…"

"You have to admit, Soul Society tends to have a lot of those, and well, frankly, I think it'd help us a lot in this situation."

"Oh yea, I completely forgot! The old man did give me something." Ichigo started rummaging through his uniform. "And well, I guess it could fall into the category of 'potential objects of world destruction' "

"You had this the entire time and you only now remember it?"

"Oi, I was rushing here to save your ass, alright? And the old man said that I should avoid using it anyway if I had the choice- Aha! I found it!" Ichigo whipped it out, a triumphant look on his face. In his hand was the ornate scroll that Yamamoto-taicho gave him.

"So… what does it do?"

"The old man said that it was a summoning of some sort. He said something about it being a shinigami, but I wasn't listening that closely. I kinda just wanted to get out here."

"So, I guess you don't know how to use it then." Minato stated flatly.

"I was in a rush, okay? All I remember is that he said something about it being super powerful and that the last summoner pissed it off and got eaten." Ichigo shot back, while trying to open the scroll. Once he found the latch, he opened the scroll, a blank look on his face.

"What's the matter?"

"Uh… heh, I can't read this." Ichigo nervously replied, showing Minato the contents of the scroll, a mass of what seemed to be gibberish to the simple-minded shinigami. Shooting a disapproving glance at him, Minato snatched away the scroll and began examining it.

_This… this is the same as the more archaic writings of our world! But the design… the summon must be terrifying if it needs a seal like this._

"Ichigo… he was right, whatever is sealed in here…, it has to be something that's close in power to a bijuu." He stated.

"Great! Then let's hurry up and use-"

"Ichigo." Minato interrupted, a serious expression on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"This summon… there's a heavy price for it." Ichigo narrowed his eyes at that. Minato wasn't one to worry about price when it came to protecting something. _This price must be something pretty ridiculous if it's making even _him_ pause._ He thought.

"As the scroll says, 'the price for the Death God's bidding is the _being_ of the summoner.'"

"And what's that supposed to mean."

"It means that in the best case scenario, we lose our lives. In the worst case scenario, we could lose our souls and our very existence. Granted, it's just speculation, but given what you said happened to the last summoner…" The two of them stayed silent for a moment, contemplating the implications of such a cost. Ichigo was the first to respond.

"If that's the price, then fine. I'll do the summoning then."

"What? No! Why should you be the one to risk-"

"Hey, you guys still have a family to go back to. If I die, well, I'm a shinigami, so I'm usually 'dead' while I'm doing my job anyway. Besides," Ichigo turned to Minato with a smirk on his face, "I'm the only one who doesn't have a badass summon yet."

Minato stared at him for a moment before finally relenting.

"Fine then, I'll teach you the instructions. We'll have to tell Seijero and Ginjuumoku as well."

"We'll just tell them when we get back in the fight."

"Alright, you'll only get one shot at this, so I don't want to take any chances. We'll need the Kyubi at its weakest, so the plan will be to hit it with all we got. Once it gets to the point where it starts to regenerate, that's when you'll unseal the scroll. From what I read, the summon is supposed to remove the soul from the demon's body and then seal it within itself by devouring it. At that point, we have to keep the Kyubi from fighting back against the summon as much as possible, so we'll keep up the offensive."

"Alright then, let's go kick some demon ass."

Plan made, the two of them got up and ran back towards the battle.

* * *

Another earsplitting roar resounded through the night sky, the two Scanians jumped away to avoid more tail strikes before returning fire.

"Geez, where have those two been? They better not be slacking off somewhere." Seijero complained loudly.

"Who's slacking off?"

"Gah! You! Where've you been? You almost gave me a damn heart attack!" the archer yelled, still clutching at his chest from the surprise. Ichigo knocked him lightly over the head in response.

"Minato and I figured out a way to put down fuzzy there for good."

"Really now?" Seijero said with an amused look on his face. "Care to share?"

"All you two have to do is put as much hurt on this sucker as possible. Just give it your all and weaken it. I'll take care of the rest." Ichigo said.

"You better know what you're doing. I've just about run out of steam." Seijero stated, his face adopting a more serious expression. As Ichigo prepared to take off again, Seijero called out to him.

"Hey." Ichigo paused and looked back.

"Yea?"

"I don't know what you guys have planned, but don't do anything stupid." Ichigo merely smiled and chuckled.

"Aw, come on, we pretty much make a living out of doing stupid things."

"Haha, fair enough." With that, Ichigo took off, reforming the mask around his face and gathering reiatsu in his blade as he headed back into the fray.

_ Alright then, now I gotta do my part_. Seijero thought, notching an ethereal arrow to his bow. _This is no time to let them down_.

The Kyubi roared once more as another wave of black energy crashed into its side. This battle had been raging for far too long. It had never been forced to fight as much as this before, it was unthinkable! How could mere _insects_ such as these push it this far? It was the Lord of Demons! Unmatched in power and strength! How could just four of these puny humans pose so much of a challenge? They were like flies: they didn't take much to kill, but they were persistent and hard to hit. It was past time to end this.

It tired of fighting the same enemies, without the satisfaction of killing. It tired of fighting in this wasteland where its overwhelming rage and urge to destroy could not be sated. It could feel its rage and frustration building up within its body, and with it, an increasing amount of power.

_**..kILl…**_ Oh, it planned to_** …DeStrOY…**_oh, how it needed to… _**kILL tHem**_..yes… _**KILL THEM ALL!**_ YES!

A great roar resounded throughout the Land of Fire, louder than anything the demon had ever uttered before. So great was the force behind it that blood began to bubble out of the corners of the Kyubi's mouth, its very own throat tearing itself apart from the force.

"Wha- what the hell's going on?" Seijero yelled while covering his ears.

"I'm not sure," Ginjuumoku began, "but, its chakra… it's getting more intense. Most likely it's increasing its power for something big."

"Well don't just stand there then! We have to stop it!" Ichigo yelled. He then swung his sword in a downward arc, another Getsuga Tensho escaping through the tip. Seijero formed the ethereal dragon's head around his bow and shot a golden bolt. Both attacks connected with the Kyubi, throwing up a cloud of dust.

After the attacks connected, the Kyubi ended its roar. As the dust cleared away, they saw that it had gone under a transformation. Its dark orange fur that covered the demon fox's body had turned a pitch black. The fiery orange chakra surrounding its body was now mixed with black flames which burned away the ground and remaining scraps of plant life around it. Its eyes now glowed a bright blood red, madness overflowing from within them. It howled once more into the night before turning towards its opponents and unleashing a stream of black fire from its mouth.

"MOVE NOW!" No one questioned Seijero's command, the lot of them leaping to the side of the stream of fire, watching in trepidation as it not only turned whatever it came in contact with to ash, but continued to spread outwards.

"That can't be good." Ginjuumoku said. "Perion! Help me bury the fire!"

The ebony testudine responded by stomping on the ground, sending another river of mud and stone over the black flames while the paladin stomped the earth and raised his arm, a wall of earth rising with it to cut off the flames. To his dismay, the flames merely consumed the stone wall as well, although the ones buried under the landslide did not manage to burn through before suffocating.

A stream of white fire shot past him, colliding with the black flames and pushing them back. The white fire writhed around and enveloped the black flames until both burned out. Ginjuumoku looked over, where Seijero stood with his arms still outstretched, palms smoking from where the fire erupted from.

"Che. I guess this kind of thing can only be put out by suffocating it." Seijero said, as he called out to Henesys. The phoenix swooped down, Seijero leaping onto its back.

"Alright, I'll take care of things from above."

"Fine," Ginjuumoku replied, "Just don't get shot down."

Seijero simply flipped him off with a laugh, then shot off towards the sky.

_Well then, I guess I'll take the other side_. At that, Ginjuumoku sunk into the earth.

The Kyubi glanced around, trying to find its opponents when a rain of fire assaulted it from above. The demon fox turned its head upwards, only to have a flurry of arrows strike its face. The demon almost laughed at the futility of the attack, knowing that its chakra would deflect the arrows. It took a moment to realize that the arrows were still there, wedged into the chakra armor. And the tips were glowing.

Hearing his barrage of bomb arrows detonating in the Kyubi's face, Seijero prepared another skill. _Alright, it looks like that armor is stronger than before. Che, I'll need to pull out some heavier hitting skills to even do damage. Ugh, I suck at crossbow skills, but I guess I don't have much of a choice._

"Henesys, focus more on dodging than attacking. I'll get the attacks through." The fire guardian screeched in response, then turned sharply to the side to dodge a black fireball.

While the Kyubi was focused on the archer above it, Ginjuumoku popped out of the ground right underneath it.

"Heaven's Hammer!" The golden ethereal hammer appeared underneath the Kyubi, punching into its stomach and launching it into the sky. The paladin swore as he saw the flames start to consume the hammer. He heaved it to the side and brought it crashing into the Kyubi with an upward swing. As soon as the hammer made contact, Ginjuumoku was forced to dispel it before the flames reached him.

"Knight's Arte: Blizzard Charge!" A sheath of ice formed around his sword, which he then swung at the oncoming flames. His blade sizzled as it made contact, the subzero temperatures around his sword and the intense blaze of the black fire canceling each other out. _A few stray flames and my Blizzard Charge was completely negated. The Kyubi's chakra is more intense than it was before._

The Kyubi didn't stay airborne for long, and twisted around to land in its feet. It suddenly dashed forward, intent on ripping the paladin to pieces. _What's with this speed?_

"Second Charge: Bla-" Before he could finish, the Kyubi swung out a tail that collided with him head on. The paladin coughed up a mouthful of blood; eyes wide as he felt his ribcage almost cave in. He crashed into the ground, gasping for breath. _Ughh… w-what was that? _He turned to the side, coughing up another mouthful of blood as he tried to get up. _Thi-this really is the power to overturn mountains and raise tsunamis, huh…If it weren't for my armor, I'd most definitely be dead._ He looked down at his breastplate, which took most of the blow. He winced as he ran his fingers along the shattered remains, pulling out some of the metallic maroon pieces that embedded themselves into his body. He looked up as he heard a loud roar, eyes widening as the Kyubi quickly made its way towards him. Very quickly.

As the Kyubi closed in on him, the ground started to shake and rise from beneath him.

"Perion!" Ginjuumoku yelled in surprise. The guardian of earth didn't even bother shaking of the residual rubble from burrowing to its master and roared in defiance of the charging fox. The demon fox crashed into the testudine's sturdy body, attempting to claw and bite at any vulnerable areas. Perion's stony shell protected him though, and it stomped the ground again. This time, pointed pillars shot out of the ground, piercing into the Kyubi's side. Once again, the tails lashed out and snapped the pillars of earth, but the onslaught continued.

"Guardian Arte: Inferno!" Another hail of fire shot towards the Kyubi. The arrows and feathers exploded in a brilliant conflagration as they made contact, throwing up another cloud of dust and smoke that Perion used to retreat to a safer distance.

"Ginjuu! You okay?" Seijero yelled from on top of Henesys. The paladin shot him a silent glare. "Err, I'll take that as a no. Here, take this."

The bowmaster then threw down a vial containing a purplish liquid. Ginjuumoku caught the elixir with his free hand and quickly downed its contents.

"One would think that better tasting elixirs would be made, considering how many people back in our world depend on them." The paladin said with a grimace. He thanked his friend for the potion and got up. He could already feel the elixir working, its magical properties stopping whatever internal bleeding there was and temporarily relieving him of his pain and exhaustion. He turned back to where the Kyubi was and scowled when he realized that it was unscathed. It hissed in rage and leapt forward, black flames spewing forth from its mouth. This time, the paladin was prepared to retaliate.

Ginjuumoku leapt off his summon's head and slammed his greatsword into the ground, the earth parting from where the point struck the ground. Giant spears shot out of the crevice, halting the demon fox in its tracks. More spears shot out of the ground as Perion manipulated the earth, until the Kyubi was completely surrounded.

"Guardian Arte: Stone Skewer!" The multitude of giant spears shot forward, the Kyubi at the center. The demon's tails writhed through the air, knocking many of the spears away, but some of them got through its guard and pierced its hide. As the stone blades entered its body, barbs shot out of the tips, making them more difficult to remove.

A giant orange figure dashed in from behind the Kyubi, leaping over the spears with his giant dagger outstretched.

"You didn't forget about me, now did you?" Gamabunta spat out, slashing the Kyubi across its back as he passed overhead.

Taking advantage of the Kyubi's temporary confusion and pain, Ichigo and Minato leapt up towards its head, unleashing attacks of their own.

"GETSUGA TENSHO!"

"FUUTON: RASENGAN!

A terrible howl resounded through the night sky, the demon fox thrashing wildly as its eyes bled profusely from the attacks.

"Ichigo! Do it now!" Minato yelled.

"Alright!" Ichigo took out his summoning scroll and unfurled it. Swiping his thumb along Zangetsu's edge, he then wiped the bleeding finger over the scroll's seal. The seal lit up, the light bluish glow that he recognized as reiatsu illuminating the symbols as they started shifting and converging on themselves.

"Wait, what do I do now?" Ichigo yelled out, confused at the suddenly shifting runes.

"Unlock it!" Minato replied.

"How the hell do I do that?"

"Your Zanpakuto! Use Zangetsu to unlock it! Stab it through like you're opening a senkaimon and call out the command phrase written on it!"

Not needing to be told again, Ichigo pulled Zangetsu back, and with a shout, stabbed the swirling seal in the center.

"Seal of the Death God! Unlock!" Ichigo then twisted his sword to the side. Nothing happened.

"Nothings happening!" Ichigo yelled. He tried to pull Zangetsu free, but found he couldn't move. _What? I can't get free!_

"Ichigo! Get out of there!" Seijero yelled. The shinigami looked up just in time to see the Kyubi blindly rushing towards where he stood. _OH SHI-_

Suddenly, a ghastly hand shot out from where Ichigo's Zanpakuto stabbed through the scroll and grabbed the Kyubi by the throat. The four warriors could only stare in awe as they saw what came out of the scroll.

The arm was a pale, purplish shade, the color of a long dead corpse. Pointed fingernails dug into the Kyubi's throat, seemingly immune to the blazing chakra that surrounded it. Black seals, similar to the ones on the scroll, emerged on the arm, snaking their way along its skin. A pale, gray colored sleeve, ragged from age appeared from the scroll next.

Panicking, the Demon Fox tried to back away, but the pale arm clenched tighter, as if trying to pull the rest of itself through.

A mane of white hair appeared next through the portal, the air rippling like water as it pushed its way out of whatever dimension it was sealed in, the rest of the being following through. Billowing ragged cloth adorned the rest of its body, leaving only the upper part of its emaciated chest exposed.

A shuddering breath escaped from the being as it slowly raised its head to lock gazes with its target. Dark, seemingly empty eyes stared straight into the crimson, rage infused eyes of the demon. A short dagger was clenched in between its teeth, seemingly unassuming, but they all felt the sinister aura flowing through it, darker than even the Kyubi's malevolent energies suffusing the air around them. But what really awed them, was the summon's eyes. As empty as the eyes staring into the demon looked, they could all tell that this summon was not some lifeless, empty being. No, the light in this being's eyes spoke of immense power. Just as staring into the Kyubi's eyes made them feel as if they were drowning in a pool of madness, staring into the eyes of the Shinigami threatened to drown them in that feeling of power and death itself.

"What… is that?" Seijero sputtered out, awed by the enormity of its presence.

"The Shinigami…" Minato muttered. "The Embodiment of Death…"

The Shinigami swung its free hand to the side, a multitude of blades of all shapes and sizes shooting out from within the folds of its sleeve. The ethereal being then reared its arm back, blades poised to pierce into the Kyubi's heart and soul. The collective defenders watched on as the arm shot forward, but none of them expected what happened next.

The blades stopped short, the tips just barely touching the Kyubi's chest, a small dribble of blood trickling from where they made contact. In an act of desperation, the Demon Fox latched all nine of its tails onto the Shinigami's arm, which wasn't even visible anymore underneath the mass of fur. The Shinigami's eyes widened, surprised that a mortal being could physically touch it, but continued to push the blades forward. It was confident that no mortal being could resist its strength for long...

Suddenly, a narrow beam of chakra pierced through its shoulders. Hissing in pain, the ghost reflexively let go of the Kyubi's throat. The demon fox then tightened and twisted its tails, the full power of the Nine-Tails shattering the blades and the arm encased within them. This time, a ghastly shriek of pain escaped its lips, but was quickly cut off as another black beam of chakra blew a hole into the Shinigami's torso. Now free from its assailant, the Kyubi staggered to the side a bit, attempting to refill its lungs with much needed air while regenerating its previous wounds. This was the first time it had felt such fear. As soon as that arm latched onto its throat, as soon as it saw the black wells of its eyes… it knew that this being was not one to be underestimated. _**Kill it.**_With pleasure.

"Impossible…" Gamabunta muttered. "Even with the Spirit of Death, the Kyubi still can't be beaten."

"Don't count the Shinigami out yet." Ichigo replied. He reappeared next to Minato, having now been freed from the scroll. True to his word, the embodiment of death was now reforming its shoulder, the remains of the broken blades dissipating into the air. It floated back into the air, a murderous look on its face.

The demon fox's nine tails arced around, the tips pointing towards the Kyubi's head. The demon opened its maw, and a bright red orb of chakra started growing between its jaws. Black wisps of chakra surrounding the demon's body started gathering towards the orb as well, turning the ball of energy a malevolent blood-like color. Seeing the condensed orb of energy, Minato suddenly panicked. _The village is in our direction! If it shoots now, the village will be destroyed!_

"Don't let it fire!" Minato cried. Ginjuumoku and Perion immediately made movements to redirect the blast, but it was too late. The blood-red orb collapsed upon itself, and its energies exploded outward towards the Shinigami and the other defenders. A grand explosion brightened the sky, and the resulting shockwave blasted away boulders, trees, anything that was within a mile radius of it. The Nine-Tailed Fox stood still, growling as it regenerated the injuries its jaw suffered from the blast as well as the significant portion of its chakra that the attack drained.

When the smoke cleared, it roared in frustration at the sight before it. The remains of a set of enormous stone doors were scattered along the ground, followed by a score of giant red torii (shrine gates/arches), all but one of which were splintered or split down the middle. The last one glowed brightly, a cracked white wall of energy situated within the gate. The wall then shattered, the torii that once supported it collapsing and joining its companions in a row of rubble.

From behind where the final torii once stood, the Shinigami hovered, arms outstretched with its palms facing outward. Its left arm suddenly exploded in a cloud of dust, unable to withstand the stress of defending against the Kyubi's attack. Unperturbed by the sudden loss of its limb, the Embodiment of Death rushed forward silently, the dagger that was once between its teeth now grasped within its remaining hand. The Nine-tailed Fox rushed forward, eager to continue its death match.

As the two juggernauts wrestled with each other, the defenders of Konoha could only look on, stunned at the amount of power displayed by both beings. A power that was capable of wiping out an entire village in one blast… perhaps even an entire country! Such a thing was unfathomable by the four defenders that witnessed it. And the strength to withstand such an attack head on… not divert the attack, like they would have and have been doing throughout the battle, but take it head on and still come out on top… These beings that stood before them truly deserved their title of monsters.

"What power…" Seijero commented, watching as the Shinigami and Kyubi clashed a few hundred yards away from them.

"Indeed," Ginjuumoku replied, "It's a fortunate thing that you happened to have such a summon on you, Ichigo."

Ichigo only nodded in reply, exhaustion from the fight and summoning, as well as the continual drain on his soul having driven him to his knees, panting heavily.

"Guys…," the other defenders turned to look at the orange-haired reaper "I- I don't think it'll be enough."

"What!" Seijero replied, "How can it not be enough?"

"Because it's drawing on his life force." The archer and warrior stared at Minato's reply, shock evident on their faces. "And it's drawing too much at once. It doesn't look like even Ichigo can take it for much longer before it starts feeding on his soul."

"So that's the price for power, huh?" Ginjuumoku said, eyes closed in contemplation. "It only makes sense that one has to give up his life to control the so called death god. In that case, we just have to hope the Shinigami can weaken it enough before dispelling it, and then we'll move in for the kill."

"Idiot, it'll just heal itself once it gets the chance." The irate archer replied, his anger fuming at the attempted sacrifice of his friend. Before he could continue, Ichigo suddenly got up, leaning on Zangetsu for support.

"I've got a better idea," he said, while trying to straighten himself up. "Right now, they're pretty evenly matched." He then raised his head, eyes filled with a familiar determination.

"I say we go tip the scale."

* * *

_Konoha_

Kakashi ran across rooftops, a small force of chunin trailing him, heading towards a black figure looming in the distance, white mask agape as it howled.

_Kakashi, you are one of the few shinobi that have had any significant experience with hollows. You and Rin will deliver the news about the hollows as well as these orders to any still active shinobi._

Rin spoke quickly with another jounin and his team before splitting off to find more shinobi to seek aid from.

_Each shinobi should be in a team of at least three. Never try to face off against an unknown enemy alone. First and foremost is the protection of the evacuating villagers and any still wandering souls._

A group of children sat huddled around their grandfather's dead body, sobbing as the grotesque, masked figure towered above, the remaining adults who hadn't run away at the sight standing in front; ready to protect them even though they knew there was little hope of succeeding.

_Draw the hollows away from their targets. Their mask is their weak point, and attacking it should be enough to shift its attention. For these types of hollows, keep in mind that a fatal blow to them would be about the same as a fatal blow to a normal shinobi._

As the monster raised its arm to crush the potential meal before it, a series of small explosions resounded throughout the alleyway, followed by a howl of pain as the hollow tried to rub the smoke and embers out of its face. It looked around, trying to find its assailants, and received a set of kunai embedded into its back. Turning around, the hollow roared again as its gaze fell upon Kakashi, who threw another handful of small paper bombs at its face. Enraged, the hollow stomped towards him, its would-be victims and hunger completely forgotten. Kakashi backed away, continuing to throw various sharp and explosive implements at the hollow as he led it towards the boundary of the village. A kunoichi appeared before the relieved family, quickly telling them of the situation while she led them to safety.

_Your next priority is to find any souls that are still wandering around in the village. If you can't convince them to pass on to the next world, then tell them to follow you while you find the rest of the hollows. As much as I'd hate to say it, they would help draw the hollows away from the live villagers._

A six-year old boy and girl stared at the ghost of an elderly man, one staring with blood red eyes, and the other with pure white. The sound of loud footsteps broke their curious gaze. They grabbed the old ghost's hand and ran as fast as they could to try to escape the monsters that they knew were hunting them.

_And your final order…_

A man lay bleeding on the ground, his younger sister crying behind a wall, too terrified of the monster assaulting her beloved sibling to try to help, yet unwilling to run away and abandon him to his fate

_Should the situation call for it, and I know it will…_

A sound of chirping birds, and then a flash of lighting; when the hollow looked down, the entire left side of its abdomen was torn out. When it looked up again, both siblings were already gone, whisked off to the nearest medic by Kakashi as soon as he tore a hole into the hollow.

_Do not hesitate to destroy the hollow in order to protect the life of a villager or soul._

Screaming in agony as it felt its body deteriorating, it barely noticed the fast-approaching fist of Maito Gai until it smashed into its mask, crushing the bleached bone and briefly revealing the face of an older man he vaguely recognized as one of his senior jounin before the entire being disappeared into the night. Gai quickly uttered a silent prayer for the soul before rushing away again.

_If you must slay a hollow, it is recommended to strike through the back of the head._

The boy with red eyes kneeled on the ground, panting. The girl with the white eyes was cradled against the old ghost's chest, blood running down the gash on the side of her head. The hollow howled in agony, a piece of its mask broken from the two children's latest effort to protect themselves. The old ghost could only gape in horror at who he saw through the mask's crack.

_Sarutobi-sama, if the mask is the weak point, why should we attack the back of its head?_

"No… Takeshi-kun… how…" Tears streamed down the old ghost's face as he discovered what had become of his life-long friend.

_As the shinigami say, "It's so you don't see the true face of the soul under that mask."_

"Itachi-kun… run…" the girl with white eyes weakly said, struggling to hold onto consciousness.

"You… you hurt Hiyaka-chan… and ojii-san…" the young Itachi gasped out. "I… I won't let you touch them again!" Itachi took a deep breath, gathering the entirety of his chakra for a jutsu he had seen his family use countless times.

"KATON: GOKAKYU NO JUTSU!"

The grand fireball poured out of his mouth, erupting as it struck the hollow in the chest. The tortured soul howled as flames quickly spread, consuming the rest of its body. Completely devoid of energy, Itachi collapsed onto the old ghost who smiled and held him against his chest along with the young Hyuga, just as Rin and Mikoto Uchiha turned the corner. Rin's horrified look quickly turned into relief as she watched the hollow's body disintegrate within the blazing inferno. As she watched she saw the remains transform into bright spirit particles that rose with the smoke into the night sky.

"How did he…" she muttered as a look of realization dawning upon her face. "It's a cremation! The fire frees the souls! Go spread the word, tell the other shinobi to use fire jutsu to purify the hollows!"

_Sandaime-sama, what are my orders?_

Shinobi flitted over the rooftops, fire blazing forth, eager to cleanse the souls of their comrades and send them off to a better place.

_Hayate-san, you will stay here with me to guard Kushina-chan while I try to prepare a seal to ease her pain and stall her transformation._

Another hollow withered away in flames near the outskirts of the village. Smoke rose towards the heavens along with the souls that were set free, a woman with long, white hair and red pants decorated with charms looking on with a pensive expression.

_Ah, one last thing before you go…_

A sudden wave of vile, red energy washed across the village, and for a moment, everything stopped. The shinobi and the villagers knew the feeling all too well, having dwelled within it for the better part of the night barely an hour ago. Such an evil feeling chakra could only come from the Kyubi. The hollows froze in place, everything forgotten. Then in unison, they howled.

_Normally, such a thing would never happen with newly born hollow like these, but with the way the Kyubi's chakra has been influencing souls, I don't want to take any chances…_

"What in the bloody blazes going on?" Fugaku Uchiha yelled, while covering his ears. Not daring to activate his bloodline for fear of being blinded by another wave of the Kyubi's chakra, Hiashi Hyuga could only look on at the hollow they were attacking, unable to reply to Fugaku's question. He had seen hollows before, when Minato took him and Fugaku to eliminate rogue hollows lost in their world, but he had never seen them act the way they did now.

_If there are _**any** _signs of a hollow about to transform, eliminate it._

The shinobi throughout the village were flabbergasted, as the hollows dashed towards the center of the village. Hundreds of hollows, driven mad by the Kyubi's chakra, started piling on top of each other, forming a grotesque, writhing mass of black. Some of the shinobi came to their senses and started blowing fire at the mass, but it simply kept growing and growing.

_We cannot risk dealing with a more evolved form of hollow in this state. _

In a burst of corrupted reiatsu, the now formless mass shot upwards, higher than any building within the village.

_A Menos Grande in the village would be disastrous with the Kyubi in such close proximity._

A figure in a billowing black robe, white skull-like mask with a long pointed nose towered above the village. Menos Grande.

"Don't just stand there! Bring it down!" Kakashi yelled, a Raikiri quickly forming in his hands as he ran towards the giant hollow along with several other jounin. Fire jutsu continued to pour out from the shinobi around them, the flames slowly, but surely, climbing up the robes of the Gillian. Screaming in pain and confusion, the Gillian barely had time to think as it was slowly being torn to shreds from the bottom up. Reaching out with a pale, bony arm, it "grabbed" a piece of the sky and pulled it around itself, disappearing within its folds, as if there was nothing there to begin with. The gathered shinobi looked on, confused as to what had happened. Some checked for genjutsu to see if it was hiding under an illusion, but their efforts were fruitless. Kakashi knew it had temporarily retreated into the folds between dimensions, and that it could appear anywhere, but where…

"Look out!"

Kakashi quickly turned around, only to see the Menos Grande poking its head out from a tear in the sky, a very familiar red orb of energy already formed in its mouth, and pointed straight at him. He braced himself for an impact, but it never came. Instead, there was a bright flash of yellow light, and the giant hollow split into two and disintegrated. Somewhat recognizing the feel of the energy, he looked around and found the one responsible for the giant hollow's demise.

A mane of spiky black hair, decorated with bells. Jagged nodachi in his hand. A tattered white haori with the number eleven sewn onto the back.

"Yo."

* * *

_Land of Fire: Valley of the End_

The Kyubi whipped its tails forward, trying to beat and strangle the ghost that currently had its dagger buried in the demon's shoulder. In response, dozens of ghostly arms shot out of its empty sleeve, grabbing the tails and halting their progress. The Kyubi then responded by wrapping its tails around the arms and repeated its earlier maneuver, twisting its tails until the fragile arms snapped from the pressure. The demon fox didn't stop there, and sunk its teeth into the base of the ghost's neck, charging its chakra into it until the energy forced it to explode, vaporizing a large portion of the Shinigami's torso. Another ghastly shriek escaped the Shinigami's mouth, but instead of letting go of its dagger, it twisted it around, earning a pained howl from the Kyubi. A slash with its claws then separated the Shinigami's remaining arm from its body, and the demon fox arced its tails towards its mouth again, charging the attack that would end it for good…

"Crossman's Arte: Piercing Shot!" A large golden arrow flew in from above, piercing the Kyubi's top jaw and penetrating through, pinning its head to the ground. The partially charged orb of chakra then painfully erupted in its mouth, destroying the shining arrow that bolted its mouth to the ground, as well as a good portion of the ground around it. The Kyubi shook its head in a daze, staring above to lock gazes with its assailant, standing proud on top of his fiery guardian. Seijero held his bow in front horizontally, two glowing arrows notched in the string of the Dragon Shinebow.

"Crossman's Arte: Blind!" The two arrows shot out and struck the Kyubi's eyes, forming a triangular seal that removed the light from the demon's eyes. A howl escaped its jaws, the sudden pain and loss of sight causing it to thrash around furiously. Suddenly, a blunt force smashed into its sides, and the demon felt several ribs give way as it stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Great job Perion!" Ginjuumoku yelled out, jumping off the earthen guardian's back as he rushed in to attack.

"Knight's Arte: Thunder Charge!" Electricity swarmed and crackled around his greatsword as he charged, aiming for the Kyubi's unprotected side. The lightning-charged sword, backed with the Paladin's extraordinary strength, managed to pierce through the hide of chakra, sinking into the demon's flesh.

"Third Charge: Blast of Lightning!" The energy around the sword exploded in a resounding crack of thunder, sending shockwaves of electricity that momentarily dazed the demon fox. Minato and Ichigo then ran in for the assault, the orange-haired shinigami charging his Zanpakuto with more of his reiatsu, while the blonde Hokage took a deep breath.

"Katon: Karyu Endan!" A breath of fire escaped from Minato's mouth, enveloping the Kyubi in its blaze.

"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo leapt over the blast, unleashing another black wave of energy. Before the black reiatsu could make contact, a wreath of black fire intercepted the blast and devoured the fire surrounding it. The Kyubi got up, the seal around its eyes lifted, and glared at its opponents. It roared towards the sky, chakra spiking as it started to regenerate itself. Before it could, a dagger pierced its chest, suddenly stopping the regeneration process. Surprised, the demon looked in the direction of the attack, finding the Shinigami with its arm outstretched, lying on the ground as it tried to pull its broken pieces back together. With a roar, it leaped towards the fallen ghost, but doing so left it in the path of a giant golden hammer.

Ginjuumoku swung his Heaven's Hammer with all his might, towards the dagger still lodged in the Kyubi's chest. _If I can shove that dagger deeper into the Kyubi's chest…_ The paladin cursed as the head of the hammer just missed it, instead smashing into the demon's torso. Stumbling back, the Kyubi then turned its sights to the paladin, who was unable to get away in time as a clawed fist of chakra suddenly stretched out and plowed him into the ground. Another golden arrow pierced deeply into its side before it could continue its assault and a rain of water bullets struck its side as it tried to shoot a beam of chakra towards Henesys.

Gamabunta leapt to the side to avoid the retaliatory beam of chakra, but wasn't quick enough to avoid the following shoulder tackle.

"Suiton: Suiryudan!" A dragon formed of water writhed out of the pools left by Gamabunta's water bullets and wrapped around the demon fox. It didn't last long, as the armor of chakra merely evaporated the water. Minato suddenly appeared by its face and shoved his signature orb of chakra in its face. The Kyubi snapped towards him, but only bit air. A flash of yellow appeared above it, and the demon suffered another rasengan to its head. Tired of the assault, the Kyubi formed hundreds of clawed hands from its chakra, which immediately chased after Minato. He threw his kunai in several directions, teleporting to those that weren't in the direct trajectory of the chakra arms. However, there were too many to dodge. The shinobi grunted as he was thrown painfully into the ground, a chakra hand pinning him to it, intent on crushing the life out of him.

"Minato!" Ichigo cried out. He then turned to face the Kyubi, delving into the last vestiges of his reiatsu. "Alright, you bastard, take this! Getsuga Tensho!"

If the Kyubi could laugh at the futility of his attack, it would have. Even after using it hundreds of times, did that puny human not understand that it wouldn't work? But before the wave of energy even made contact, it sensed another one right behind it. Turning sharply, it spotted a blur of movement, before seeing yet another black Moonfang shooting towards it. Using the utmost amount of speed that he had, Ichigo let loose a fourth Getsuga Tensho, his immense speed overcoming that of even his own attack. With nowhere to go, the Kyubi could only stare as the four black waves of reiatsu collided with its body. Ichigo flash stepped directly above the explosion, powering up his Zanpakuto for one final blow. Giving out a resounding battle cry, he descended sharply with his sword raised, his mask chipping and bones creaking from the immense toll on his body.

He was not prepared for the mass of tails that suddenly shot out towards him. Caught off guard, Ichigo dodged the first few strikes, but couldn't dodge the last one coming down towards him.

"Shit-" His mind suddenly went black as the tail collided with him head-on, his friends' cries of worry echoing in his mind.

_Looks like… I got a little too careless…_

_**Damn right you did.**_

_Oh, it's you… What do you want?_ The voice cackled, Ichigo grimacing as he recognized the voice.

_**Oh don't be such a stiff, I haven't tried to screw you over for years now.**_ The high pitched voice continued to laugh at his situation.

_**Wow, you really messed up there, huh? You're a goddamn mess, hahaha.**_ God, how he hated that voice.

_Oh shut up you damn hollow. It's not like you could've done any better._

_**Hmm, you wanna bet?**_

_Hmph, well there's an idea._ Ichigo could feel his consciousness blacking out.

_**How 'bout I take a crack at the hairball. If I beat it in your body, you give me more free time.**_

_And if you get your ass owned, I'll lock you in a room with Ukiyo._ He could feel his darker half shudder, remembering full well the horror that was the hyperactive red blob of childish fury.

_**… Fine, jackass. Just sit tight, the old man will take care of ya.**_

_Alright… you better not cause any trouble… or I'll kick your ass all over my sorry excuse for a mindscape…_

The last thing he heard was another high-pitched cackle, before submitting to unconsciousness.

As Ichigo's crumpled body headed towards the ground, Minato dashed towards the falling body as quickly as he could. He was surprised though, when the body suddenly righted itself right to land feet first.

"Hey…" Minato asked warily, "Ichigo, you alright?" Ichigo turned his head towards him, eyes turned black with yellow irises.

"**Nah, I ain't Ichigo, try again Blondie.**" 'Ichigo' said, a maniacal grin on his face. Minato immediately let out an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, it's you, Shiro." Even though he wasn't thrilled to see him, the appearance of Ichigo's alter ego at least confirmed that his friend was still alive, although unconscious.

"**Huh? What's with that 'oh, it's you'? You should be damn happy to see little ol' me.**" Shiro replied. **"Cheh, no one appreciates me anymore.**"

His eyes widened when he heard roar behind him. He looked over to see the Kyubi, a neutral expression on his face. Then, a wide grin split his face, and he started laughing.

"**Hahaha, so this is the giant fuzz-ball that everyone's been making such a fuss about!**"

"Hey, you've seen its power, haven't you? You better be careful." Minato chided.

"**Hehehe, first time I get to stretch my legs in a month, and I get to go all out! This is gonna be fun!**"

"Alright, fine, just don't get yourself killed." Minato replied.

"**Oh, don't worry about me, hahaha, I'll be having the time of my life!**" Shiro replied, "**Just don't get in my way!**"

At that, Ichigo's alter ego leapt into the air, laughing hysterically as his trademark mask started reforming around his face. He stopped in front of the Kyubi, Zangetsu resting on his shoulder.

"**Alright, fuzzy, let's see what you got. HYAAA!**" Shiro swung his sword in a wide arc, a Getsuga Tensho exploding from its tip in a horizontal wave. The Kyubi merely leapt over it, while dodging the hail of fire and earth sent towards it simultaneously, and tried to crush the insulting pest before it. When it landed though, Shiro was nowhere to be seen. A red beam of energy collided with its face, the violent reiatsu mixing with the malevolent chakra, causing it to explode.

"**Hehe, looks like Cero work pretty well on you, huh?**" Shiro then raised his hand, red reiatsu charging around the two fingers pointed towards the Kyubi. "**Let's have another go then, shall we- huh?**" Shiro suddenly froze, the cero dissipating around his fingers. _**What the hell is this?**_ He thought, suddenly feeling something intruding within his mind. _**This feeling… it can't be!**_

"**NO!**" he suddenly cried, clutching at his head. "**Get out! GET OUT!**"

Minato, Seijero, and Ginjuumoku could only stare in shock as the alter ego of their friend started swinging his sword around wildly, as if trying to attack an invisible opponent.

"**I got rid of you already! This is MY mind. MINE! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!**" he suddenly screamed, the high pitched voice suddenly transforming into the ghastly sound of a hollow's roar. A blast of black reiatsu erupted from his body, enveloping him.

"Shiro!" the other three defenders cried. "Ichigo!"

When the remains of the black reiatsu died away, they were shocked at what stood before them. An armored, clawed hand flexed. Two long horns faced forward from the sides of the striped white mask. Plates of bone armored the entire torso of their friend, save for a large, empty hole in the middle. 'Ichigo' then let out a ghastly roar, which was responded to by one of the Kyubi's own.

"How?" Ginjuumoku said, shocked at the change that had incurred in his friend.

"He transformed…" Minato replied. "He transformed into his hollow form." _But how? _He thought. _That form shouldn't exist anymore! He achieved perfect harmony with his inner hollow, so why?_

Taking notice of the powerful being roaring in challenge to him, hollow Ichigo turned towards the Kyubi, and looked straight into its eyes. Eyes that were infused with insanity. The same eyes that Ichigo now had.

Ichigo then roared, a cero forming in between his horns, he Kyubi responded by forming a red orb of chakra in its mouth as well. The two beams collided with each other, exploding on contact. Ichigo then shot forward, Zangetsu in hand, as he clashed with the Kyubi.

"Everyone! Go back him up!" Minato yelled, "As long as the Kyubi is there, he'll be focused solely on attacking it. Just make sure to stay out of his way."

They then shot forward as well, unleashing attacks from afar to damage the Kyubi as much as possible without harming their maddened friend.

Another cero shot forward, exploding and tearing a chunk out of the Kyubi's flank. The demon fox roared in pain, and swung one of its tails towards the hollow. Ichigo blurred past, cutting across the tail as it passed by. As the demon howled again, Ichigo flew forward, another cero charging in its horns. It grew to an immense size, blocking his entire line of sight. Blocking his view of the black-tinged red orb of chakra that the Kyubi charged in its mouth. The two beams shot out at the same time, but the result was now different. The Kyubi's blood colored chakra overcame Ichigo's cero, pushing it back until he ran out of power. The beam then enveloped him, shattering the hollow mask and bone armor that covered his body, as well as the insanity that infused his mind.

_**Aw shit… I guess I messed up too…**_

"ICHIGO!" Their cries were futile, his body crashing limply into the ground as the Kyubi roared in triumph. The Shinigami, still recovering from its wounds, suddenly grasped its chest as it started to fade away.

"YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!" Seijero cried, leaping from his mount in the sky.

"Seijero! Wait!" Minato cried, trying to stop his friend.

"BREATH OF FIRE!" Seijero roared with all his might, a torrent of blazing white fire erupting from his mouth. The Kyubi responded by unleashing its own torrent of fire, the black flames pushing against the white. Chakra blazed around Kyubi's body before arcing out around the white flames and heading towards the bowman. The stream of white fire stopped as the crimson chakra enveloped him, Seijero screaming out in pain as he was burned alive. The torrent of black flames now continued unperturbed, intent on incinerating him. Henesys dived down with a screech, grasping Seijero in its claws and shielding him from the torrent of black flames. The scarlet phoenix shrieked in pain as the dark fire collided with its back and it crashed into the ground.

"Guardian Arte: Stone Skewer!" Ginjuumoku unleashed the giant stone spears again, but the Kyubi smashed through them with a swipe of its paws and tore towards the paladin.

"Damn it all!" He cried. "Power Guard!" The Kyubi crashed into the translucent blue shield, but smashed straight through it. Ginjuumoku gasped as one of the Kyubi's paws slammed into him and was sent tumbling along the ground. He quickly got back to his feet, ignoring the pain in his torso and raised his sword once again.

"Knight's Arte: Holy Charge!" Light began converging on his greatsword once again, forming a giant blade of light. With a roar, the paladin swung his sword towards the Kyubi. The Demon Fox took the hit, allowing the sword to slice across its shoulder, and slammed a paw on top of the paladin.

"AAAARRGGHH!" Ginjuumoku cried out in pain, blood flying out of his mouth. The Kyubi stomped again, but the paladin managed to roll enough so only his legs were crushed. He continued to scream out, hearing his bones snap as they collapsed under the force. The Kyubi opened its maw and prepared to devour him. _NO! I CAN'T LET IT END HERE! IT WILL NOT END HERE!_

The paladin's scream of pain shifted to one of rage, his eyes hard as he stabbed his still glowing sword into the Kyubi's neck.

"FOURTH CHARGE: BLAST OF LIGHT!" The light energy quickly converged onto the tip of the sword, exploding in a brilliant flare as the energy was released. Blood splattered around him as Ginjuumoku felt the paw lift away from his body. Gasping in pain, he looked up to see blood gushing out of the Kyubi's neck as it staggered back. Enraged, the Kyubi leapt towards him once again. With his legs crushed into the ground, Ginjuumoku couldn't get away. An earthen wall rose up between him and the demon, temporarily blocking Ginjuumoku from assault. The Kyubi merely smashed through the wall, but the momentary delay was enough for Perion to reach them. With a low pitched roar and a hiss, Perion tackled the Kyubi before the demon could kill his master.

While the testudine struggled with the Demon Fox , Minato teleported to where Ichigo lay, glad that the marker he had placed on him earlier hadn't been destroyed. He quickly checked his pulse, but felt nothing. He then looked towards the Shinigami, and saw that it was starting to fade away. _It must be draining the rest of his life force to stay in this plane! At this rate, even if Ichigo is still alive, the Shinigami will kill him._

He quickly looked around, wondering how to save his friend, until his eyes lay upon the Shinigami's scroll, still lying unfurled on the ground. Quickly grabbing it, he bit his thumb, letting a fresh flow of blood well on his finger, but paused when he noticed a new line of script near the bottom.

_This is… I see, so the Shinigami was capable of such a thing too…_

_I… I have to tell Kushina about my plan. She'll never forgive me if I don't let her know what I'm about to do with our son…_

* * *

_Konohagakure no Sato_

Kushina was sitting in the middle of the room, relief across her face as the Sandaime's seal kept the deterioration of her soul at bay, when she felt a slight and familiar tingling sensation in the back of her mind. _This is… Akai Ito?_

Akai Ito, a revolutionary technique that allowed two people to mentally communicate with one another, created by Minato and Kushina while they were experimenting during the war. Jiraiya-sensei had jokingly named it "the red thread of destiny", since it only seemed to work between those who were mentally compatible, and even then, only with those who could completely trust each other. The name stuck, so they decided to keep it. Others could only feel the mental state of their partner, but Minato and Kushina had developed it to a level that they could actually share thoughts with one another.

_"M-Minato? Is that you?"_

_ "Kushina? Thank goodness…, looks like it still works."_

She gasped at his exhausted tone of voice and haggard breathing.

_"Minato! What's going on over there? Are you and the others alright?"_

_ "To be honest, we haven't been making much headway in this battle."_

_ "What? But it's been hours!"_

_ "I know… but even if we manage to wound it, the Kyubi just heals its injuries. And it doesn't seem like it's going to run out of chakra any time soon."_

_ "So… what are you going to do?"_

_ "Ichigo brought a summoning scroll from Soul Society. It contained the Shinigami, the embodiment of death itself."_

_ "A-are you serious? And it still isn't helping?"_

_ "Unfortunately not. The Kyubi did something, some sort of Mad Enhancement, and nothing we've done has been effective after it. The Shinigami is draining Ichigo of his life force, and we can't disengage the summon. If I don't change its energy source, he will die."_

_ "… I guess it's too much to expect that there isn't some sort of price for it, huh?"_

_ "At the very least, I probably won't live."_

_ "Of course it would be something like that…"_

She sat quiet for a while, thinking about what she should say before Minato interrupted her thoughts.

_"Kushina... the Shinigami isn't strong enough to defeat the Kyubi outright. However, after activating the scroll, there was a technique listed that could stop it. It's a sealing technique, and it's compatible with the one that we were making before the Kyubi arrived."_

Her eyes unconsciously widened. She had a feeling as to where this was headed…

_"Ours? But I thought we scrapped it since there isn't anything that could hold the Kyubi's power!"_

_ "With the Shinigami's sealing, there is one possible vessel."_

No, please no…

_"Kushina… I'm going to create a jinchuuriki."_

_ "NO!"_ The other occupants of the room flinched and stared at her, having voiced her thoughts out loud. _"You can't do this! You can't seal that THING in him."_

_ "Kushina, I-"_ he began, but she wouldn't hear any of it. She was not about to let her child suffer such a fate.

"_You know what the other jinchuuriki are like, you know how they're treated. And not only do you want to shove that kind of burden on him, you want him to bear it alone?" _She could hear people trying tocalm her down, but she ignored them, desperate to get Minato to change his mind.

_"You can't do this to him. It's just not fair. You can't force something like this on Naruto…"_ She hugged the baby in her arms closer to her body, tears now flowing down her face.

_"I'm sorry… This isn't something I want to do to him either. Believe me, if I knew there was another way, if I can still somehow _find_ another way, I won't do it, but should the worst happen, I will seal the Kyubi into Naruto, to protect everyone I love."_

She didn't respond. She knew he didn't have a choice. She knew he wouldn't condemn their child to such a fate if there was anything he could do about it. But still, to deprive him of his parents, and now, even his future…

_"He'll be fine. He's our son, after all. Nothing keeps an Uzumaki or a Namikaze down, let alone someone who bears the blood of both. I know he'll have hard times ahead of him, but I know he'll be able to pull through. We just have to believe him."_

_ "Yea, I know… it's just… All this time, we wanted a family, and now that we have one... We're both leaving him before he's even a day old and sealing a demon into him that will forever haunt his life." _She let out a choked laugh. _"We must be the worst parents in history."_

_ "It won't be forever."_ Minato comforted. _"I won't let it be forever. We'll find a way to see him again, I'll make sure of it."_

_ "… Alright then. Do it... I trust you to do what you have to."_ She didn't like it, and as soon as she got the opportunity, she would make sure he knew _exactly_ how much she didn't like it, but for now, Kushina knew he had to do what he must. _"…I love you…"_

_ "I love you too…"_ He broke the connection. _"Thank you… and Good-bye."_

He wiped his bleeding thumb across the scroll, crossing over the streak of blood that Ichigo smeared on moments ago…

* * *

Perion crashed into the ground, having been thrown by the Kyubi. It struggled weakly as black flames burned across its shell, Ginjuumoku and Gamabunta desperately trying to put them out. The Kyubi then charged them, an increasingly familiar black orb of chakra forming in its mouth as it ran. The demon never reached its destination, as the Shinigami tackled it from the side, grabbing onto its throat once again. The Kyubi roared in anger, furious that the Shinigami had halted its assault for the third time. It redirected the orb, trying to blast through the spirit of death once again, but this time, the Shinigami now held the Kyubi by its left arm. The multitude of blades shot out of its sleeve, this time stabbing straight into the Kyubi's body. It howled in pain, feeling its chakra being quickly drained away. Once again the tails grabbed onto the offending arm, and once again it shattered the blades and the arm holding it. This time, however, the Shinigami held on tightly, even though its arm was broken, and grabbed on with its other arm. The blades still stuck within the Kyubi stopped draining its chakra, but still caused it pain. However, the two arms still grabbing onto its neck and shoulder continued to drain the Kyubi, the seals along its arms glowing brightly. Gamabunta stared at the sight before him, wondering how the spirit managed to regain so much energy. He turned to look behind the Shinigami and gasped at what he saw.

Behind the Shinigami, with his arm's facing forward in the same position as the Death God, was Minato Namikaze. His armor had broken near his stomach, a glowing spiral seal now etched upon it. His eyes glowed with an unnatural blue light, face screwed in concentration. Above his body, was a shining ethereal figure in the shape of a human.

"Is that… Minato's soul?" Gamabunta muttered. At the remark, Ginjuumoku sharply looked up, eyes widening as he confirmed what he saw.

"He… he can't be serious…"

_I will give you my life, which I had already considered forfeit to protect the village._ Blood started pooling out of his mouth as he tightened his concentration.

_If that is still not enough, then take my soul._ The black flames around the Kyubi started pulling away, the Shinigami inhaling and devouring them.

_I will give everything to protect that which I love._

The Kyubi stared in horror. It could feel its power quickly draining away. At this rate, it was going to die… _**No!**_ It would not die like this! It was the all powerful Nine-Tailed Fox! The King of Demons! It would not let any being defeat it. As long as it held breath in its body, it would continue to live! It _needed_ to live, to kill and destroy. It would not let any other being take away its desire. _**I will not die like this!**_

'_This…this can't be the end'_

The Kyubi quickly charged a beam of chakra, shooting through the arm that clutched its shoulder. The Shinigami grimaced, but held tight with its remaining arm. It then breathed out a violent flow of black fire, intent on incinerating the Shinigami. The ghost ducked to the side, but the flames now headed towards the downed Perion and Ginjuumoku.

'_Even after all we've been through, is it our destiny to be defeated?_

"FORBIDDEN FLAME: BREATH OF FIRE!" The stream of white fire pushed against the black torrent, snuffing each other out.

"Seijero!" Ginjuumoku yelled, overjoyed to see his friend once more. He formed a cast of stone and wrapped it around his legs, temporarily supporting them. Ginjuumoku then got up and ambled towards the archer. His face immediately fell upon seeing his friend's condition. Seijero was covered head to toe in burns. His hat was gone, either blown off or incinerated by the blast, along with his ponytail. Most of his tunic was burnt away and much of the mesh armor beneath had melted, some parts fusing with his skin. But despite this, he managed to smirk back.

_ 'If destiny is made of gears, and we are the sand in between that is torn apart…'_

"Yo, Ginjuu." He replied. "Hey, I think I got one more shot left in me. Wanna back me up on it?" Ginjuumoku stared at him, then smiled.

"Alright then." Ginjuumoku raised his greatsword in front of him. "I'll make sure you get that shot through. We won't let Minato's sacrifice be in vain."

Ginjuumoku shut his eyes and began chanting.

'_There's nothing left to do but being powerless…'_

"Spirit of the earth, be my blade. Fulfill the final wish to protect the things that are precious to us." Perion slowly got up, a soft gray light enveloping it.

"Let your body be my armor, your spirit be my sword. Fulfill the role of the great guardian!" With a low pitched roar, the Guardian of the Earth became a gray light that shot into the air, coming down again on top of Ginjuumoku.

'_I just want power…'_

"NOBLE GUARDIAN: TERRA COTTA!"

The ground rose up around the paladin of earth, pausing only to engulf the warrior before it continued its growth. The mass of stone and dirt rose up until it was taller than the Kyubi itself, before falling away in chips. From within the earthen cocoon, out stepped a giant stone soldier, bearing Ginjuumoku's likeness. His normal armor was gone, replaced by a lamellar suit of gray-brown armor and flowing moss green cape. His right arm was outstretched, a double-edged sword of black steel in his grasp. The transformed Ginjuumoku crouched slightly, before springing forward with a reverberating battle roar.

The Kyubi roared back, launching arms of chakra in an attempt to shatter the stone monument bearing down upon it. The paladin merely charged forward, his stone body chipping, but holding strong against the impact of the blows. With another roar, he thrust the sword into the Kyubi's shoulder, driving it through while the sword extended and pierced the ground. The demon then wrapped its tails around the Ginjuumoku and squeezed. The great earthen monument exploded in a shower of stone shrapnel and dust, leaving the Demon Fox pinned to the ground with the stone sword. Ginjuumoku dropped out of the cloud of debris a fair distance away, unmoving.

"Thanks, Ginjuu…" Seijero then notched an arrow to his bow, drawing it while chanting.

'_If I cannot protect by just extending my hand…'_

"Spirit of fire, be my arrow. Cleave forth a path to victory." Henesys burst into flame with a final screech, the fire enveloping Seijero as he drew his bow back as far as he could. He aimed his bow carefully, knowing that there were no more chances.

"Let your wings be my bow, your heart be my bolt. Fulfill the role of the great guardian!" The Kyubi began charging another orb of chakra within its mouth, a desperate attempt to escape.

"NOBLE GUARDIAN: IACIO SOLIS!"

'_If I cannot protect them from the wheels of fate…'_

The arrow shot forward at an incredible velocity, snapping the bowstring and cracking the limbs of the bow. The blazing arrow left rings of fire in its wake as it shot towards Seijero's target. As the Kyubi was about to unleash its attack, the arrow pierced into the ball, continuing through the entire length of the Kyubi's body before exiting the end and exploding in the distance. Seijero smiled in satisfaction at the Kyubi's howl of pain as he too pitched forward and collapsed.

The Kyubi continued to writhe, the overwhelming amount of pain too much for it to handle. Only the blazing madness that possessed it and its own corrupt energies managed to keep it alive with such wounds. The Shinigami struggled to hold on, but Minato was slowly loosing his grip the more it thrashed. _Come on… just a little more…_

_ 'Then give me a strong blade…'_

Meanwhile, Gamabunta stared at his summoner. _They've all risked their lives to defeat this demon. And what have I done?_ He watched as Minato cried in pain along with the Shinigami when it was struck. _I'm not as powerful as the rest of them, and I certainly can't match the Kyubi._ He picked up his dagger and raised it in front._ But I'll be damned if I don't do my duty to help my comrades!_ The Toad Boss rushed forward, dagger poised to strike.

"I am Gamabunta, Chief of the Toads! Upon the pride of this blade I WILL FIGHT!" He leapt into the air, dagger raised above his head. The short dagger glowed with a silvery light as nature chakra flowed along its length.

"MORIYA'S IRON DAGGER!"

'_I want a blade that can reach in front of them…'_

The blade extended, ripping through the chakra armor and into the Kyubi's spine as Gamabunta descended. He held on tightly, ignoring the searing pain of the Kyubi's chakra.

'_A blade with the power to crush Destiny'_

Minato held on tightly through the Shinigami, filling it with more of his strength to hold onto the Kyubi.

_Brown eyes slowly opened as he looked up, the crescent moon shining above him._

'_Looks like a blade that is swung down_.'

_Ugh, I need to hold on longer._ Minato thought, his energy quickly draining away. _Why can't I give enough… I just need a little more… Just a little more…_

The glow in his eyes and on the seal died down slightly, just about having exhausted the last dregs of his chakra. He stared in distress as the Kyubi almost threw Gamabunta off its back, starting to struggle even more intensely as it felt its end draw near. The fur was already changing back to its original orange, the black chakra continuing to be absorbed into the Shinigami. Suddenly, it roared, shooting another beam of chakra through its mouth. The beam tore through the Shinigami's chest, Minato hacking up blood as he felt the same pain tear through him. _No…it can't end like this…_

Minato felt his strength fade as the Kyubi struggled out of the Shinigami's grasp. "Why… isn't it enough…"

"GETSUGA TENSHOU!" A blue arc of energy surged towards the Kyubi, cutting into its shoulder and bringing the great demon down. Minato gasped in surprise and looked behind him.

"Ichigo…" The orange-haired shinigami was back in his shikai state, not having enough energy to maintain his bankai. The giant cleaver that was Zangetsu's shikai was stabbed into the ground, Ichigo leaning up against it.

"If your own power isn't enough" he panted, blood dribbling from his mouth. "That's what your friends' powers are for." Ichigo then smiled, and stabbed Zangetsu into the scroll once again, ghostly tendrils wrapping around his body as the scroll connected his soul with the Shinigami's.

"You should know by now," he continued, "We're in this together. Dumbass."

"Ah." Minato uttered, at a loss for words. After a moment, he broke out laughing. "Ha..hahahahaha. Alright then, let's finish this Ichigo."

Ichigo could feel his remaining reiatsu drained into the scroll, bright seals snaking their way along his arm and fueling the Shinigami that wrestled with the Kyubi. The seals on the Shinigami shone brilliantly as Ichigo's remaining reserves reached it as well. With a wrenching noise, the Shinigami's severed arm reformed itself, and its knife appeared in its hand. It then stabbed the knife forward, piercing the Kyubi in the heart.

The Kyubi roared louder that it had before, blinding amounts of pain searing throughout its body. The last dregs of black chakra were absorbed into the Shinigami, taking away the dark hue within the demon fox's chakra and body.

* * *

_**So this is it…**_

_** The great King of Demons simply passes into the void, just a pawn in someone's manipulations …**_

The Shinigami began draining the rest of its chakra, Minato and Ichigo struggling to hold onto consciousness as the rest of their energy drained away as well.

The Kyubi stared into the eyes of the Shinigami, wanting to get a good look at the being that caused his end.

_**Ah, a being worthy of ending the Kyubi no Yoko.**_

He was impressed by the power that the embodiment of death radiated, but paused at seeing a familiar essence flowing within its eyes.

_**Oh, it seems that my madness has sought out a new vessel.**_

To the Minato and Ichigo's surprise, the Kyubi began chuckling.

"**To think, I still have a chance at vengeance!**" The Kyubi then began laughing outright, the two conscious defenders utterly shocked at hearing the Kyubi's voice.

"_**No one**_** makes a puppet of me! You will regret having antagonized the King of Demons! This curse that you placed upon me, allow me to return it!**" Glowing white seals started forming around the Kyubi's body, traveling along its length and creeping onto the Shinigami.

"**Fox Curse: Grudge of the Deceased"**

A blast of chakra exploded from the Kyubi's body, throwing Gamabunta off. A ghastly scream escaped the Shinigami's mouth, both Minato and Ichigo flinching as they felt the Kyubi's power intrude into its body. The white seals intermingled with the glowing blue ones already on the Shinigami's body and reiatsu began pouring out of its eyes and mouth. When the seals enveloped the entirety of the ghost's body, some of the Kyubi's chakra overflowed into the two defenders, causing them to grimace in pain.

"Minato! We have to contain the Kyubi's chakra somehow! It's too much for the Shinigami!" Ichigo yelled out, before a pulse of chakra drove him to his knees in pain. "Urgh… hurry up man…"

_I don't believe it! We're so close! Of all the things to happen now, why this?_ Minato's thoughts traced back to his last moments with his friends and family. _Hiruzen… Jiraiya…Kakashi, Rin… Kushina…_

_ …Naruto…_

_I guess it really has come to this. I'm sorry Kushina, I wasn't strong enough to spare our son. I'm sorry Naruto, for the burden I'm about to place on you… Live strong, and always know that you are a hero…_

With his final thoughts of his family fueling the remainder of his strength, Minato made the last few seals of his life.

* * *

_**Ichigo…**_

_Huh? Ossan?_

_**Ichigo… don't forget…**_

_Forget what?_

_**The reason for my existence…**_

_Your… reason?_

_**If you can't protect them with your hands…**_

_Then… give me a blade…_

_**I… am your blade…**_

_Ah… That's right…_

_**Don't forget… Ichigo…**_

"Ichigo!" the orange-haired shinigami suddenly snapped back to attention. "Hey! Ichigo, wake up!"

"Sorry, I think I passed out for a bit." He sheepishly replied, getting back up to his feet.

"Nevermind that. I need you to stay with me. We need to seal the Kyubi. I don't think the Shinigami can hold out much longer." Minato yelled out.

"Alright, what do I need to do?"

"Just shove out every last bit of energy you can!"

At that, Minato clasped his hands together, forming a multitude of seals while chanting under his breath. His chakra started to burn around him more intensely than before. Ichigo quickly matched his pace, increasing the output of his reiatsu. _Those that I protect… the Gotei, my friends… Orihime… Ukiyo…_He held on to the images of his friends and family, letting them be the driving force of his will.

Minato finished chanting, clapping his hands together in a final seal.

"Four Symbols Seal!" His chakra mixed with Ichigo's reiatsu, and traveled into the Shinigami, which then shoved the mixture of their energies along with its own into the Kyubi. The Kyubi flinched as four symbols appeared on its forehead. Minato completed the seals once again.

"Eight Trigrams Seal!" Another four seals appeared on the Kyubi's forehead, now totaling eight in a circular pattern.

"**So… you still have… some fight left within you after all.**" The Kyubi drawled out. It then shoved even more chakra through its own seals, trying to overload the Shinigami with its energies.

"Ichigo now!" Both clapped their hands together before pushing their arms out towards the Kyubi, the Shinigami following suit.

"DEAD DEMON CONSUMING SEAL!" A rush of energy shot through their connection with the Kyubi, forming a spiral pattern in the center of the eight symbols. At the same time the Kyubi's chakra reached them, overwhelming them with its remaining chakra.

The Shinigami howled into the sky, beginning to disintegrate from the influx of energy. A blue light shot out of its body, piercing into the heavens. The tendrils connecting it to Ichigo and Minato's souls snapped, disappearing along with the Shinigami. The Kyubi took one last look at the Shinigami, satisfaction filling the demon fox as he saw the last vestiges of the madness that had previously overwhelmed him vaporizing with the spirit of death.

Ichigo immediately collapsed, unable to hold himself up any longer as the ghostly arms released him. Minato fell to his knees, staring into the Kyubi's eyes. The Kyubi stared back, the final vestiges of its life draining away. With the last of its strength, it grinned at Minato. Not a malicious smile, but one reminiscent of a satisfied warrior.

"**Well… done…"**

And with that, the seals on its body glowed one more time, a red light exploding from its body, heading towards Konoha. The mighty Kyubi no Kitsune's empty body fell to the ground, never to rise again.

_We… did it… It's… done…_ Minato then keeled over as well, a smile on his face as he hit the ground.

* * *

_The Aftermath: Hokage Tower_

…_Minato-kun…_

Hm? Is someone there?

…_Minato-kun… wake up…_

His mind swam painfully, recollection of the past few hours playing through his mind. _Ah, I don't want to get up yet…_

_Minato… please wake up…_

_Well… If you insist…_

As the darkness lifted with his eyelids, the beautiful smiling face of one Kushina Namikaze graced his vision. He slowly raised his hand, wiping away a tear on her face.

"Well, there are worse ways to wake up." Kushina's face broke out in a wide smile, more tears flowing from her face as she promptly embraced him.

"Minato! I'm so glad you're back!"

Suddenly nauseous at the sudden motion, he grabbed his head, only to wince as something pulled painfully at his chest. He looked down to see a long chain, matching the one he saw on his beloved.

_Well, I'm not alive, but it's better than having my soul devoured, for sure…_

"Apart from being dead, I feel fine now." He chuckled, "Although that's a problem in of itself I guess." _At least now I'll be with Kushina._

"Wait, Naruto! Where's Naruto!" Minato suddenly began to panic, worried that something might have gone wrong with the sealing.

"Don't worry, he's right here." Kushina lifted up a bundle next to her, revealing their sleeping child nestled within the cloth. Minato took him into his arms, admiring the peaceful look on his face and smiling, glad that his son was unharmed. His face fell as he remembered what he had done, and shut his eyes in shame as he lifted the corner of the blanket. There, on Naruto's stomach, was the spiral shaped seal that would forever mark his burden.

"So the sealing was a success…" he whispered downheartedly. Kushina laid her hands on his shoulder to comfort him.

"Yes, it was…" she replied. "But don't worry. You said it yourself, remember? Our son is strong; he'll be able to bear it."

Minato opened his eyes again, smiling at her words and Naruto's gentle features. _Yes, it's too late to regret what happened now. What's done is done, and we can only look towards the future and have faith in him._

"By the way… what happened?" Minato looked around, trying to take in his surroundings. He was back in the room he left Kushina in, in the Hokage Tower. He smiled as he saw Ichigo, Seijero, and Ginjuumoku lying on top of futons, glad they were alright. He tried to get up and check on them, but two pairs of hands pushed him down. One he recognized as Kushina's the other…

"Namikaze-san, I'd advise you to stay down." He looked up, and saw one Retsu Unohana staring back, a green glow around her hands as she continued to heal his body.

"Your soul may be in a stable condition now, but I have not finished repairing the damage. You children must have been given it your all if even your souls were damaged to this extent." Minato twitched at being called a child, but passed it off, having grown used to her antics. Kushina merely giggled at his reaction.

"Unohana-taicho? I thought the Gotei weren't allowing shinigami to come help?"

"We weren't." Minato turned to the side at the sound of the new voice.

"Zaraki-taicho!" The eleventh division captain sat against the wall, sword resting on his shoulder. "And would you care to explain?"

"We're just here to do our job." Kenpachi replied, a wide grin on his face. "A bunch of hollows came up, so the Old Man sent us down here to deal with them. Just business as usual."

_Two captains for a bunch of low-ranked hollow? Yamamoto-sotaicho is getting rather clever nowadays, huh._

He looked around again to see who else was in the room. He spotted Orihime Kurosaki kneeling next to Ichigo, the familiar orange barrier of her Soten Kisshun enveloping him, slowly healing the wounds within.

"Orihime-san is here too?"

"Well… all of your wounds were terrible…" Kushina replied. "Ginjuumoku and Seijero were in critical condition, so we needed Orihime to restore their bodies to a more manageable state. And, well…" She stopped there, deciding not to continue. Minato decided not to press the subject, already knowing what she was going to say. _She probably tried to revive us, but I guess it was too late already…_

He then looked over to Seijero and Ginjuumoku, just in time to see the fading green glow of a healing spell as the mage casting it finished her job. The chestnut-haired magician wore light silver armor over plain white robes with blue trimming, a gnarled wooden staff in her hands. A curling gold diadem circled around her head, a white cape bearing the symbol of a sapphire dragon adorning her shoulder.

The priestess leaned over Seijero and gently tried to wake him up, just as Kushina did to Minato moments before. When his only response was a loud snore, a vein twitched in the normally gentle magician.

"SEIJERO! WAKE UP!" Her fist then connected with the poor archers stomach, said archer waking up whilst expletives poured out of his mouth. Upon seeing his beloved, he could only sputter in response.

"K-Kaya?" Kaya immediately enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug, tears pouring out of her eyes even as she scolded him.

"You idiot! How could be so irresponsible! Leaving without a word like that!" Seijero merely patted the sobbing magician in the back, unable to say anything. "You have no idea how long I spent looking for you after I came home! And then I find out that you left on some sort of mission to Konoha! When I got here, I find you all torn up… and… and…"

"Shh. It's okay." The bowmaster responded. "I'm fine now, especially with you here to take care of my injuries. I feel as good as new!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he hacked up a glob of blood.

"Ah! I think I opened up an injury with that punch! Don't worry, I'll heal it up right away!"

"P-Please do…" While Kaya frantically casted another healing spell, Ginjuumoku opened his eyes and sat up.

"Ugh, will you guys keep it down?" The blue-haired paladin rubbed his head, trying to make sense of where he was. "The two of you are as loud as ever." Kaya turned around sharply to face him.

"Shut up! Kyouko's pissed at you too! She just couldn't come because she had to take care of Hatsu!" At that, Ginjuumoku paled. When Kyouko got nervous, she tended to sharpen her knives to try to calm her nerves. When she got angry, she had a tendency to throw them. And rogues have excellent aim…

The rest of the room could only laugh at Ginjuumoku's expense as he let out an exasperated sigh, collapsing back into the futon to contemplate how to appease his wife. Minato then looked back to Orihime, who was still in the process of healing.

"Orihime-san…" Minato began. "How is he?" The orange haired girl turned to him and smiled before returning her gaze to her husband.

"It's… taking longer than usual… All this chakra makes it harder to heal. And…" she gave both of them a sad look. "I'm sorry but… it completely prevents resurrection…"

_Ah, so that's what it is…_ It was then that he noticed a large sheet of cloth in the far corner of the room, draped over three figures lying on the ground.

"So… I guess we really are dead then…" he touched his broken chain of fate in emphasis, before turning his attention back to Naruto.

"Yea, you guys were lucky we went out to look for you." Zaraki said. "You four were sitting ducks for all those hollow out there."

"What?" Minato exclaimed in surprise. Kushina then spoke, deciding to explain the situation.

"Minato-kun, we saw a bright flash of light, and then all of the sudden the Kyubi's chakra disappeared. We weren't sure what happened, but Sarutobi jii-san sent Zaraki-taicho and Unohana-taicho to find you.

* * *

_Konohagakure no Sato: 3 hours ago_

A blinding pillar of blue light shot into the sky, followed by a crimson wave that shot straight towards the Hokage Tower. The occupants in the room shut their eyes, the malevolent feel of the Kyubi's chakra overwhelming them as it passed through. Then all of a sudden, it vanished. Kushina opened her eyes, wondering what had happened, but was immediately distracted by a wailing Naruto. It was then, that she knew what Minato must have done.

Kenpachi Zaraki then burst into the room, the brute of a captain smashing through the wall (missing the window that was his original target) as Retsu Unohana gracefully flash-stepped into the room after him.

"What the hell happened?" the eleventh division captain demanded. He looked around, alert for any more signs of trouble.

"Relax, Zaraki-taicho. I do not sense any sources of malevolence." Unohana assured, placing a hand on his shoulder. She then turned to Hiruzen. "Although if you could explain what that red flash was, it would take a load off our minds.

"Hmm… We're not quite sure ourselves, but that was clearly the Kyubi's chakra." He looked around the room, and then towards the horizon. "But now, it has completely disappeared."

"The Kyubi has been defeated." Kushina spoke up, not sure whether to feel exhilarated or distraught. "Its power sealed away…"

The rest of the room turned towards her. "Would you elaborate please?" Unohana said gently.

"Minato contacted me with Akai Ito. He told me of their last ditch plan to seal the Kyubi's soul into Naruto if they weren't able to defeat it or find another alternative."

Unohana and Zaraki both froze, and Hiruzen grasped the wall as he felt his knees weaken. Hayate did not quite have as much control and fell over in shock. He stared at the baby in Kushina's arms, fear starting to entrench itself in his mind.

"Calm down Hayate-san." His head snapped up at the sound of Kushina's voice. "There's no danger here. The sealing was flawless and Naruto did not suddenly become the demon. Have faith in your Hokage."

The preteen swordsman shook his head, rearranging his thoughts as he once again looked upon the Yondaime's son. If there were any traces of fear left, they were banished as he looked at Naruto's crying face.

_I must be more exhausted than I think I am if I thought _that _would be a threat…_ Hayate thought as he mentally reprimanded himself.

"But to seal such a corrupt monstrosity into a baby…" he muttered. "Truly, they must have been desperate."

"How in the blazing hells did they even manage to do something like that?" Zaraki spoke up.

"Only one way to find out." The Sandaime Hokage replied. He turned to the two shinigami captains. "Would you two kindly head down to find our friends?"

Unohana nodded in reply. "Certainly Sarutobi-san. Shall we, Zaraki-taicho?"

"Yeah, I'm coming." Before either of them could move, a wooden doorframe appeared in midair and slammed into the ground. The doorway glowed brightly, one Kaya Fushichou running out, narrowly slamming into Zaraki's back.

"Where's Seijero? I-I can't find him anywhere!" The magician immediately launched into hysterics, overcome with worry for her lover. "Grendel told me that he came here with Ginjuumoku, but once I scryed your village…"

"Kaya-san, calm down." Hiruzen calmly demanded, gripping her shoulders in an effort to stay the hysterical brunette. "Zaraki-taicho and Unohana-taicho are just about to set out to find them. Go with them, and they will tell you the details along the way." He looked towards the two captains. "Please hurry, we're all worried about them."

Zaraki nodded and leapt out of the tower, taking off at breakneck speeds.

"Kaya-san, please come over here." Unohana said. She drew her sword, which glowed gently.

"Minazuki." The sword burst into a green gas, which traveled outside the tower and transformed into a large one-eyed manta ray. Unohana leapt onto its back, Kaya following suit. They then took off, flying swiftly in the direction Kenpachi ran off in.

The last three occupants in the room looked on, Hiruzen and Kushina hoping that all was well. Hayate merely stared after them, before breaking the silence.

"You know what, I'm not even going to ask where she popped out from."

"Zarakai-taicho, please don't run off like that. We don't want you getting lost now." Unohana chided from above, Minazuki having quickly caught up to him.

"Che. My sense of direction isn't that bad!" he replied, stifling a few choice words at her jab. Honestly, that woman took every moment possible to be immature. Any idiot could tell where the Kyubi was fighting. With that evil aura and the explosions going off every few seconds for the past four hours in that direction, it'd take a corpse to not notice something was wrong there. They traveled on for a few minutes, noticing the upturned earth and rubble spotted around here and there. Then they passed into a vast wasteland, clearly several miles in diameter. The entire area was devoid of life; only ashes remained of the plant life that once thrived in the area. Any mobile wildlife had long since run away. The earth was scorched in most places, rubble the size of houses lying all over the place while great chasms carved themselves out of the once level ground. Kenpachi whistled at the damage done to the area. _Wow, they really went all out here. I can still feel some incredible reiatsu lingering around. Too bad I had to miss out on all the fun._

The farther in they continued, the more evidence of battle they spotted. Long scars in the earth dotted the landscape, still lingering with the reiatsu of a certain orange-haired shinigami. The remains of giant stone spears lay in crumpled heaps, a row of broken torii not too far in the distance. Zaraki cursed as he almost ran into a large boulder, noting with interest that it looked like a giant sword gaurd. When he looked up again, that was when he saw it. The limp body of the Kyubi no Kitsune lay in the distance, the crumpled bodies of the four defenders of Konoha surrounding it.

"Oh my god…" Kaya covered her mouth in shock, amazed at the amount of destruction that surrounded them, as well as the vile aura surrounding the dead demon. Then she spotted the bodies. She quickly teleported off in a flash of blue light, reappearing next to the fallen bowmaster. Tears poured out of her eyes as she examined the damage done to his body, before kneeling next to him to check for signs of life. _He… He's still alive! Thank goodness…_ She quickly went over to check Ginjuumoku, overjoyed to discover that he was alive as well. The priestess then immediately cast a healing spell, attempting to get them stable enough to move back to Konoha.

Retsu Unohana lightly stepped off of Minazuki, surveying the scene around her. _What destruction… For such a being like this to exist, it must have been a terrifying experience for those children to fight it._

"Hey, Retsu-san, you better come take a look at this." Hearing Kenpachi's call, she quickly ran over, examining the fallen figure of the Kyubi as she passed by.

"Zaraki-taicho, what's the matter?" She noticed a frown set on his face, and followed his gaze towards the ground. Her face immediately fell at the site. Minato and Ichigo's bodies lay a few feet apart from each other, limp and pale. Their unconscious souls lay close by, the wounds littering their ethereal forms mirroring those on their bodies.

"It seems… the battle was not without cost after all…"

Kenpachi didn't say a word, opting merely to pick up the bodies.

"Come on, let's get them back to Konoha. We can patch them up there. Maybe even bring Orihime to see if she can bring 'em back." Unohana nodded, motioning Minazuki over. The green manta ray rolled out its tongue, wrapping gently around Minato and Ichigo's souls to draw them into its stomach for healing. As they made to move on to the two Scanians, they froze as they heard a gastly howl, followed by an explosion.

The two shinigami hurried over to where Kaya was, only to see the last remains of a hollow disappearing into the night, the priestess' staff outstretched towards where it once was.

"We've got company." Portals started opening up throughout the wasteland, multitudes of hollow appearing from within. Some cackled as they appeared, articulating their joy at finding such a rich meal before them, several towering figures appearing behind them. Adjuchas.

"Unohana-taicho," the fourth division captian turned to look at the priestess. "I you would, please take Seijero and Ginjuumoku back with you on Minazuki."

"You know you can't purify this many by yourself, Kaya-san." Retsu began, but Kenpachi quickly interrupted.

"That's my job. She'll be having her own business to take care of." He pointed over his shoulder towards where they Kyubi's body lay, several shadowy creatures creeping up towards the fallen demon, eager to have a taste of its flesh. Youkai.

Unohana nodded, quickly placing Seijero and Ginjuumoku in Minazuki's mouth before taking off back to the tower. The Eleventh Division captain and the Arch Mage stood back to back staring into the multitude of enemies. Kenpachi suddenly broke out into a laugh.

"Hahaha, just what I needed!" He grinned manically, some of the hollows unnerved at the look on his face. "I've been itching for something to take out my stress on!"

Kaya looked on with a similar feeling within herself, although it didn't show on her face. "You've caught me at a _really_ bad time." The tip of her staff glowed as she pointed it towards the shadows swarming around the Kyubi's body, a spear of lightning appearing in her other hand.

"I guess I'll just have to take it out on you."

Retsu Unohana didn't look back as a massive explosion of yellow reiatsu and blue mana lit up the sky behind her, fully confident that the two juggernauts could quickly eliminate their assailants.

* * *

_Present time, Hokage Tower_

"You were lucky I took it out on those youkai, otherwise you'd be at the receiving end." Seijero merely gulped, not for the first time glad that he was on Kaya's good side. Most of the time, anyway.

"So what happened to the Kyubi's body?" Minato asked.

"We destroyed it." Zaraki answered, "The youkai wouldn't stop coming 'til we did. I guess they wanted a piece of the Kyubi's power for themselves."

"Ah, that reminds me." He quickly left the room, a few thuds and a grunt could be heard as Minato wondered what he was doing. "I brought back a little souvenir for you guys. Thought you might like it." He slammed the object on the ground with a thud, a wide grin on his face.

"Th-that's-" Minato was at a lost for words. In the middle of the room, sat one of the Kyubi's fangs, so tall it was almost touching the ceiling.

"Like it? I cut it off right before we burned the body."

"What possessed you to give us a goddamn tooth from the Kyubi?" Seijero yelled, pointing accusingly at Zaraki. Kaya immediately pouted, looking at him with sad eyes.

"Aww, but I thought you guys would like it."

"It was your idea?!"

"Well, I thought it'd make a good trophy, or maybe you could make something out of it." Seijero only groaned in exasperation. _Sometimes, the air-headedness of this girl…_

"Well, I guess I could try." The bowmaster said, getting up to put a hand on the giant fang. "I'm not a master smith for nothing, hahaha. Although I never tried using a demon fang to forge something."

"Oh that reminds me, I found this for you too." Kaya reached behind her, grabbing Seijero's hat. "I found it kinda torn up, but I figured you could fix it up again."

The bowmaster smiled in thanks, before taking the hat and putting it on his head.

"Aw… too bad it didn't get vaporized… you've been needing a new hat."

"Oh shaddup you damn shini-" Seijero froze as he realized who had spoken.

"Hey guys…" Ichigo weakly stared towards the rest of the room, then turned to look up. "Hey Hime."

"Ichigo-kun..." Orihime immediately started crying, much like the other two women in the room did. "I'm sorry… I couldn't save you…"

Ichigo merely held up a hand to her face, smiling all the while.

"Ah, its okay. I was already prepared for this when I went to fight." He then looked towards the others in the room. "We all were, so don't get mad at us for something like that."

"Yes, protecting our precious things," Minato slowly got up into a sitting position to face Kushina "that is our duty, the duty of the will of fire."

Any remaining anger towards the recklessness of the four defenders immediately abated. The group sat in silence as Orihime finished healing Ichigo, hurriedly embracing him as her Restoring Shield died down.

"MINATO-SENSEI!" Everyone in the room jumped as they heard the door slam open, a wide eyed, winded Kakashi standing at the doorway. Naruto immediately whimpered at the sudden noise, before waking up and staring around the room in curiosity.

"You're back!" Rin yelled, overjoyed at seeing her sensei. "Minato-sensei! You wouldn't guess who's here!"

"Uh…" Minato could only stare, confused at the situation. Confused until a familiar face squeezed in from between Kakashi and Rin.

"Long time no see sensei!" Minato and Kushina's jaw dropped, the shinigami in the room sporting a knowing smile on their faces.

"O-Obito-kun?!"

"The one and only!" Obito Uchiha stood in the doorway, dressed in the standard shinigami garb, familiar orange goggles resting on his forehead. "Eleventh-Division, 4th-seated officer, Obito Uchiha, reporting in!" With the announcement, Obito made a cocky salute, wide grin splitting his face.

Kenpachi quickly bopped him over the head, "Can't you be a little quieter for once?"

"Aw, but I wanna show of to sensei! Here I am, not only a Shinigami Academy graduate, but a seated officer in just four years! Hell, that beats Kakashi's shinobi academy record by a long shot! Take that you bastard!" He pointed at Kakashi, a look of triumph on his face.

"Hm? Did you say something?" Kakashi gave himself an internal thumbs up as a flabbergasted look passed over Obito's face. The former member of Team Namikaze then started yelling as his shock turned to outrage. The gray haired teen pointedly ignored him as Rin stepped in to calm Obito down, opting instead to sit down by his sensei and admire the giant fang sitting in the room.

A smile broke out on Minato's face, which then quickly broke out into full blown laughter. Things didn't turn out so bad after all.

"Hey," Ginjuumoku interrupted, "The sun's rising."

Sure enough, an orange sun rose over the horizon, the group staring at the beautiful scenery together.

_ A new day is upon us… we may still have many difficulties in the future, but I'm sure we'll pull through, just like we've always done…_

Minato closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face while he held Kushina closer to him, Naruto held closely in both their arms.

_I guess… this is the end of our story, huh… _He then looked down at Naruto, wide blue eyes staring back.

_But… It's the beginning of a new legend, isn't it?_

* * *

_End Prologue 2_

HOW'D YOU LIKE THAT?

I have been waiting so long to write the two lines right above. After about 5 months in the making, the final chapter of the prologue is done, all 42 pages of it. That's exactly seven times the amount of the first, for better or for worse.

Anyways, time for some major clean-up via some detailed descriptions. I tried to imitate the writing style of manga, so things seem to get a little choppy in some parts. Many, many run on sentences, hehe. I wanted to do an imitation of how they have a picture and words, then another picture and words, picture and words, so yea. Btw, since quite a few of these characters probably won't be making too much of a future appearance, I'm going to give some info on them now. Especially since there's supposed to be an assumed backstory to this.

Okay, so. First things first. They are all from separate worlds, the Naruto world, Bleach world, and Maple Story World (named Scania in this). Although the different worlds do cross over with each other on occasion, these events are incredibly rare and most people forget about them by the time they happen again. The connection point between the two worlds is supposed to be right after the Karakura Invasion Arc in Bleach, where Aizen runs away after being defeated, everyone chases, but he gets away. While in the Garganta, Aizen runs into the group of shinigami/arrancar who just finished in Hueco Mundo and are traveling back to Karakura. Something goes wrong when they clash within the Garganta, and the crew minus Aizen gets sent into the Naruto world. Basically everyone good who was there at the end of the Rescue Orihime arc ends up there (so its Ichigo and co, the four captains & vice captains with them, etc), and they practically land in front of Minato. Yadda, yadda, you get the idea.

For the vast majority of you who probably don't know Maple Story, this section is for you. First off, I know that the majority of their skills aren't canon. And I don't care. I wanted to make them more epic, cuz they're supposed to be. The summons were based off of the Four Celestial animals in feng shui. Each one has a specific role in terms of balance. The turtle snake represents the mountain at the back that protects your home, the phoenix represents the low hill in the front that lets you "take off" towards success, etc. If any of you _do_ play maple story you may or may not have noticed that their summons correspond to the town that they're from. Warriors get their job advancement in a mountain-like city called Perion. Perion is also at the northern side of Victoria Island. Archers get their job advancement in Henesys, a cute little mushroom-village at the southern end of Victoria Island. If you can't make the connection from here, the Azure Dragon of the East is the Water Guardian, Ellinia (the magician village on the east side of Vic Island) and the White Tiger of the West is the Wind Guardian, Kerning (the thief/rogue city on the west side of Vic Island)

There's more to that, but I'm not getting into it. At the same time, I tried to keep as close as possible to the feel of their skills, like Ginjuumoku only using Heaven's Hammer (a skill that attacks a bunch of monsters on the field, either doing 600% damage or taking their health down to 1) only every so often as a reflection of the "cool-down" time. I changed some names a bit to make them sound fancier, like Fourth Charge: Blast of Light, cuz just yelling Blast seemed to be a little silly. Storm of Arrows is the original name of Hurricane from the Beta version of 4th job. The armors were very loosely based off of existing armors in maplestory, with varying degrees of divergence. Seijero's equip is based off of the lvl 35 top, the lvl 40 hat, and the lvl 110 bow. Ginjuumoku's equip was more based off of Kyo's armor from Samurai Deeper Kyo, but the helmet can me likened to a NX item, or Yamato's faceplate from Naruto, if you wish. Ginjuumoku's Terra Cotta armor is, of course, based on the armor worn by the Terra Cotta warriors, or Chinese Soldiers during the Qin dynasty. The double edged sword is a Chinese Jian.

BY THE WAY: All maplestory elements are pre-pirate era, keep that in mind. And for each world, they each have their own source of energy (Naruto- chakra, Bleach- reiatsu, MapleStory- mana). Someone from one world can't use the energy from the other, so they can't outright learn moves from other worlds.

A lot of the elements in this story might be based off of older assumptions from the various series since I came up with this idea almost a year ago, but I might/will change stuff along the way.

Alright, so. This prologue pretty much "concludes" the story of the older generation, leading into the story of the "new generation". So now it's Naruto's turn to take the spotlight. In a few chapters anyway :P

* * *

Scania Character Profiles

Seijero Fushichou- Age: 21

Height: 5'7"

Place of Birth: El Nath, Ossyria (snowy wasteland or wonderland, depending on your opinion) - moved to Henesys, Victoria Island early in life)

Hair: Black Catalyst (ponytail with bangs to the side of face)

Eyes: Gold

Class: Archer- Bowmaster (mastery over most Crossbow skills as well, but has more expertise with a bow)

Skills: Superb archer, control over fire (yes, I did rip it off of Avatar. Deal with it.), excellent smith (control over fire certainly helps; handmade most of their armors and weapons), self-proclaimed greatest photographer (warranted, mostly due to a rather _excellent_ and rare picture of Aizen's flabbergasted face when they went to invade Hueco Mundo for the final battle; needless to say, its quite a hit in Seireitei's market)

Personality: Sharp-witted, happy-go-lucky most of the time, likes to make fun of people. Passionate and somewhat easily swayed by emotions, although now it's only on the surface. Somewhat at odds in particular with Ichigo in this manner, but both are actually quite close.

-Always a fun person to be around, unless he's playing with fire. That's your cue to run.

Ginjuumoku Moki- Age: 23

Height: 6'5"

Place of Birth: Perion, Victoria Island

Hair: Dark blue, disheveled (normal hair style, I guess)

Eyes: White (guess what the Blind Turtle part of his name means)

Class: Warrior- Paladin (mastery over most skills from other warrior classes too; most proficient with sword skills)

Skills: He's a warrior. Tank like body, iron-strong will, and a punch you _REALLY _don't want to be on the receiving end of. He's the kind of person that breaks things just by being there. Also has full control over earth (including being able to sense vibrations through it, making up for his blindess). Since he's blind, he's a little on the clumsy side in certain situations. Especially when it comes to his wardrobe (can't see the colors; Seijero's got a picture of that too). He makes up for it by having incredibly keen senses and reaction time. There's another thing that makes up for his blindness, but I won't reveal that for now, but whenever you see me write 'Ginjuumoku saw' or something involving visual input, it's not a typo.

Personality: Chivalrous to a fault, and holds an extremely high code of honor. The most level headed and stable of the group, like the earth (he's also as stubborn as a rock when it comes down to it). Unfortunately, this makes him a priority target for pranks, although most assailants wind up in a pit for a few hours afterwards.

-The knightly, dependable type. If you want someone to support you, there's no one better than him. He's over six feet tall, after all (what a view).

Kaya Libellule– Age: 21

Height- 5'4"

Place of Birth: Leafre (moved to Ellinia, Victoria Island early in life)

Hair: Chestnut brown (light brown), long; wears hair down

Eyes: Sea-green

Class: Magician- Bishop (proficient in all forms of known magic, but light and water are her expertise)

Skills: Incredibly intelligent, incredibly powerful. A few words can destroy a large chunk of a city if she was pissed enough. Has control over water. She's arguably the strongest out of the four Scanians, in terms of sheer damage capability. A good magic cancel kind of negates that though… Unfortunately, she's a little sickly at times, which hampers her abilities. Her Guardian Spirit is Ellinia, the Water Dragon. It's an oriental style dragon that can create rain and generally can control water. Guardian Arte is Whirling Torrent (torrent of water and ice that crushes the enemy). Noble Guardian is Rain of Advent (a cloudless rain pours from the sky, the water rippling towards the enemy and surrounding it in a whirling torrent, steadily getting smaller while crushing the target before freezing over into the shape of a dragon. The sculpture then explodes into tiny fragments, casting a glittering shine over the battlefield.)

Personality: Typical kind and gentle soul, although can be rather bipolar at times. One minute, she can be as calm as a lake, the next moment, she can be as terrifying as a raging ocean. Although she can seem air-headed at times, she knows how to limit her own power, to the point that she's subconsciously in control of it. This way, she doesn't accidentally blow things up (It's happened before though…). Her last name means dragonfly in french, btw. Married to Seijero, as if you couldn't tell already.

-Overall, a very sweet and caring person to be around, willing to please everyone around her. You better not get on her bad side, or there won't be enough of you to fill a matchbox by the time you realize you did something wrong.

Kyouko Kodora- Age: 22

Height: 5'8" (Seijero isn't particularly happy about this)

Place of Birth: New Leaf City, Masteria (didn't move to Victoria Island, but Kerning City's only one train stop away anyway)

Hair: Black, medium length. Style varies, but is typically in a ponytail

Eyes: Reddish brown

Class: Thief- Night Lord -proficient in all thief skills, expert with both daggers/cutters and claws (throwing weapons)

Skills: Extremely fast and agile, as expected of a thief of Kerning. She's rumored to have descended from a line of ninjas, which explains why even the more advanced arts feel as natural to her as breathing. She uses a unique battle style that can utilize both long and short ranges to their maximum effectiveness, unlike any other class. A true genius in her line, if you will (technically, all four are geniuses, considering they're slated to be the next four masters of Victoria Island, but she's a special case). She has total control over wind, which only increases the deadliness of her art. Spirit Guardian is Kerning, the White Tiger of Wind. Kerning is probably the most battle capable, in terms of physical ability, but as such, has a comparatively weak and unversatile Noble Guardian. Guardian Arte is Great Breakthrough (Kerning spins around in a tornado of fangs and claws, Kyouko throwing giant shuriken made of wind). Noble Guardian is Empty Void (sucks in the wind towards herself, creating a vacuum within a wind tunnel that draws the enemy closer to her. The wind then suddenly disappears, Kyouko reappearing behind the target, which is usually already dead from the thousands of blades of wind)

Personality: A no-nonsense type of girl, developed from years of fending for herself. Like Ginjuumoku, she grew up with a strict set of codes that she never broke, although for her, it was more survival of the fittest. Unyielding and untamable as the wind, she hates showing weakness in front of others, although Ginjuumoku can see straight through her defenses. She's dependable, but cold towards others, until she met the other three. Has a soft spot for cute things (has a private stuffed animal collection but she's already burned Seijero's pictures of those, so the rumor can't be officially confirmed). She sees Kaya as a little sister (again, coming at odds with Seijero when he tried to make advances on her) and is very overprotective of her and later, Ginjuumoku (she doesn't give a damn about Seijero, but cares enough about him too).

-She has a good heart, although she doesn't like to show it. Ginjuumoku and Kyouko were automatically voted for "best future parents". It's not everyday you come across a couple as dependable as these two.


End file.
